‘I’m going away from this world’: Caleb Adams learns fate in court after neighbour manslaughter

By the time he took another man’s life, Caleb Adams had become “a solitary character leading an isolated life”. The Mornington man has now discovered his fate in court.

Mornington man Ashton Jones was stabbed to death by Caleb Adams in October 2020. Picture: Facebook

By the time he took another man’s life, Caleb Adams had become “a solitary character leading an isolated life”.

The Mornington resident, who felt like an “outcast” in his social housing community, had become increasingly fearful of his neighbours – and what might soon be to come.

In response to his heightened anxiety and state of overwhelm, Adams responded with violence.

Adams was sentenced to six years’ jail on Friday in the Supreme Court of Tasmania, for the October 2020 manslaughter of his neighbour, Ashton Jones, in a burglary-gone-wrong.

He was given an extra three months behind bars for a brutal assault against another neighbour just two days prior.

But with a non-parole period of three years and three months, Adams – who has been in custody for longer than that – could already be eligible to apply for his release.

Tasmania Police at the scene of the Mornington death in 2020. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

While sentencing, Acting Justice David Porter said two days before killing Mr Jones, 34, Adams had bashed a neighbour over an argument about noise, and slamming doors.

It occurred in an environment of “ongoing conflict” between Adams, and some of his other neighbours in the Carbeen Street block of 12 units.

In response to “some provocative conduct” from that neighbour, Adams pulled his foe’s jumper over his head to obscure his vision, punched his head, then used his victim’s walking stick to beat his body.

The victim needed an overnight stay in hospital along with stitches – while Adams became increasingly anxious about reprisals.

Acting Justice Porter said Adams stayed the night at a support person’s house, but when he returned home, he found his kitchen window had been smashed in.

Adams “took that to be a significant threat”, and also heard someone planned to “burn him out” of his unit.

Investigator after Mr Jones’ body was found on October 12, 2020. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Unable to sleep that night, Adams messaged his father at midnight saying: “I’m going away from this world, I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused”.

Meanwhile, Mr Jones – who had not been involved in the disputes with Adams – decided to break in via the broken kitchen window and steal his television.

Mr Jones had believed Adams wasn’t home that night – but he was wrong.

At 2.35am, Adams was disturbed by the sound of Mr Jones trying to make his way through the window, wearing socks on his hands to stop them getting cut from the broken glass.

In the darkness, unable to see Mr Jones and assuming the worst, Adams grabbed a 22.5cm knife and stabbed it forcefully through his kitchen curtain and blinds.

Tragically, the blade penetrated deeply into Mr Jones’ neck and chest. His carotid artery and jugular vein was cut, and his lung was punctured and collapsed.

He staggered to the car park and bled to death shortly afterwards.

Adams called police shortly afterwards, telling them he’d stabbed an intruder in self-defence.

Acting Justice Porter said the stabbing was a “greatly excessive use of force”.

Ashton Jones. Picture: Facebook

“Although things happened very quickly and in a heightened state of fear, it ought to have been obvious the knife would have connected with the head or neck of someone trying to get through the window,” he said.

The judge said while he accepted Adams was “genuinely remorseful”, his culpability was high.

“I am told he has spent some time coming to terms with the fact he has taken a human life, and that is a burden that will weigh upon him for the remainder of his life,” he said.

He also noted that Adams, now 34, hoped to return to work upon release from prison in his father’s furniture restoration business – as well as to his former church.

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Originally published as ‘I’m going away from this world’: Caleb Adams learns fate in court after neighbour manslaughter