Family of murder victim Danny Barber tell the Supreme Court of their distress during sentencing hearing for Nikola Milosevic

A bashing murder victim’s family have told a court of their torment at losing their beloved son and brother, while describing his killer as a “despicable, heartless human”.

Nikola Milosevic was found guilty of murdering his housemate Danny Barber. Picture: Facebook

The family of a murder victim brutally beaten to death with a bike, bin and baseball bat have told a court of their ongoing anguish at needlessly losing their “funny, kind and compassionate” son and brother.

They described Nikola Milosevic, 39, who was found guilty of murdering his housemate Danny Barber, 52, in a methamphetamine-fuelled rage at the North Plympton home they shared in August 2019 as a “despicable, heartless human”.

Murder victim Danny Barber. Picture: SA Police

He appeared in the Supreme Court on Thursday for a pre-sentence hearing, where the victim impact statements of Mr Barber’s mother, Elizabeth Blake, and his sister, Lisa Wellington, were read aloud.

“Danny was curious, intelligent and loved to learn,” Ms Wellington said in her statement.

“He was an avid reader, a writer and a poet.”

She said her brother was a “funny, kind and compassionate” man who enjoyed travelling and the freedom of riding a motorbike.

“Danny was a son, a brother and an uncle who will be forever mourned and missed,” Ms Wellington said.

“Knowing that Danny need not have died and that he did so violently is torture.”

She said her brother’s murder was a needless, senseless, “cruel beyond measure” and “merciless homicide”.

Ms Blake was diagnosed with terminal cancer a month before he died and, in her statement, described coping with the loss of her son while undergoing treatment compounding her anguish.

“I constantly thought about Danny and how he must have suffered,” she said.

“The thought of my son laying on the cold back lawn being hit by a baseball bat, bike and wheelie bin for hours until his body gave up has made coping with cancer even harder than it should be.

“I thought Milosevic would be sorry, but he just lied and showed no remorse at all.”

She said her son was highly intelligent, having gained high distinctions while at university before drugs and alcohol ruined his life.

“Danny was a son, a brother and an uncle who will be forever mourned and missed,” Ms Wellington said. Picture: Supplied by family

She hoped Milosevic, who “inflicted unimaginable pain and suffering” on her son “was an extremely dangerous man” who should spend most of his life in jail.

During the trial in April, the jury heard Milosevic beat Mr Barber to death using a baseball bat, bicycle and an 11kg wheelie bin.

Prosecutor Carmen Matteo had told the court Milosevic had inflicted about 30 blows, before calling emergency services and denying any involvement in the attack.

“At the time the accused made that call, his housemate, Danny Barber lay in their backyard bleeding from extensive injuries to his head,” she said.

The jury had heard that Milosevic attacked Mr Barber after he had thrown a pot plant through Milosevic’s bedroom window and “knifed” a note threatening him with an axe to his bedroom door in the hours before the attack.

Milosevic had pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but the plea was not accepted and he was later found guilty of murder. He had told the jury he was acting in self-defence when he killed Mr Barber but, by its verdict, the jury rejected those claims.

On Thursday, Greg Mead, for Milosevic, said his Serbian-born client “feels very badly about what happened” and “regrets what he did”.

“He is sorry for causing the death of Mr Barber,” Mr Mead said.

“He says he thinks about what happened every day. It makes him miserable to think about it … he keeps dwelling on it.”

Milosevic has lodged an appeal against the jury verdict.

Justice David Peek will sentence Milosevic on a date to be set.