Man convicted, sentenced to life

AARON Thomas Gardner has been handed a life sentence in prison after stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death.

AARON Thomas Gardner has been handed a life sentence in prison after stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death.

Gardner, 31, was given his sentence at the Brisbane Supreme Court on Friday.

Gardner pleaded guilty to one count each of murder, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and burglary with violence while armed.

He also pleaded guilty to assaulting a work superior while he fled from police.

The court heard that Gardner had waited for his former partner, Lauren Taylor, in her Gatton residence in Buaraba Street in July 2006.

When the 20-year-old Taylor arrived home, she was stabbed in her bedroom 12 times with a knife.

Prior to the murder, Gardner and Ms Taylor had been dating for about eight weeks, when Ms Taylor broke off the relationship because he was too possessive.

Before dating Ms Taylor, Gardner had a history of violence towards his girlfriends, threatening a former girlfriend with a sawn-off shotgun and knife to her throat.

On the day he murdered Ms Taylor, Gardner called in sick from his job at the Gatton Campus of the University of Queensland and drove to Toowoomba.

In Toowoomba he purchased a hunting knife and visited prostitutes, telling them of his plans.

Gardner had also surfed the net looking for stabbing techniques and drawn a diagram of a woman, outlining the best areas to insert a knife.

Gardner will serve at least 15 years of the life sentence.

Originally published as Man convicted, sentenced to life