Madusha Dilhari Fernando sentenced to home detention for horrific domestic violence rampage on husband

A paranoid woman whipped, degraded and slashed her husband during a violent rampage – even threatening to drink his blood – and then walked from court. Warning: Graphic content

A woman has walked from court despite a horrific domestic violence rampage, including rubbing chilli powder in her husband’s anus and smothering him with a pillow.

Madusha Dilhari Fernando, 27, was sentenced to home detention after a judge determined 56 days in custody was enough of a punishment for her terrifying and degrading acts.

She had pleaded guilty to multiple counts of aggravated assault and one count of threatening to cause harm.

During sentencing, the District Court heard Fernando committed the offending against her husband in February 2022.

The court heard Fernando married her husband in an arranged marriage in 2017 and moved to Australia from Sri Lanka.

“You were jealous, controlling and paranoid that your husband was having affairs with other women,” Judge Michelle Sutcliffe said.

“There were arguments about money and you realised that you and your husband were not compatible.”

The court heard Fernando confronted the victim about watching pornography before taking some chilli powder, telling him she was going to rub it on his penis.

The victim protected his penis and Fernando rubbed the chilli powder into his anus, causing immediate pain.

Fernando then took a knife from the kitchen and swung it at the victim, saying she was going to slash him before the blade cut his shoulder.

The court heard Fernando then whipped the victim with a leather belt to the back, torso and legs, leaving red marks across his body.

Fernando then entered the room after her husband went to sleep and put a pillow over his face.

“You pushed the pillow down onto his face with force and said ‘I’m going to kill you. I want you dead tonight’,” Judge Sutcliffe said.

The court heard the victim struggled to breathe and Fernando let go of the pillow after a few minutes.

The victim was at work on another day when the victim sent him multiple threatening voice and text messages.

“It included threats to stab, beat and pour hot water over him, that you wanted to see his blood and pain and would put chilli on his penis,” Judge Sutcliffe said.

“In the voice message you said ‘You are getting ready to receive a beating from me. Wait. I will half kill you today. You want to create trouble at home. Come home I will kill you’.”

The court heard Fernando also threatened to cut out her husband’s liver and eat it and suck and drink his blood.

The victim reported the matter to police and after he returned home and the victim learned where he had been she pushed him against the wall and punched him in the face.

One another occasion, Fernando spat in his face.

In his victim impact statement, the victim said his life has been left in chaos and he continues to experience emotional distress.

“He described tolerating your abhorrent and abusing behaviour in the hope for a better future and due to his love for you,” Judge Sutcliffe said.

The court heard Fernando had spent 56 days in custody and was the primary caregiver for a baby she had with a new partner.

Judge Sutcliffe said Fernando’s behaviour was inexcusable and sentenced her to three years and three months jail, with a non-parole period of one year and seven months.

Despite prosecution pushing for immediate jail, Judge Sutcliffe determined Fernando was a suitable candidate for home detention.