Paul Damian Shinnick, 64, jailed after stabbing Craigmore housemate Steven McKellar seven times
A man who stabbed his sleeping housemate seven times has been jailed after telling triple-0 his victim “wanted to die before Christmas”.
A man has been jailed after stabbing his sleeping housemate seven times because he couldn’t hear the cricket on TV, before calling an ambulance and telling them his victim “had cancer and wanted to die”.
Paul Damian Shinnick, 64, faced the Supreme Court for sentencing on Wednesday after pleading guilty to the life-threatening attack on his Craigmore roommate Steven McKellar.
Justice Rachael Gray said the offending came after “existing tensions” the pair would be kicked out of their rental property, and ultimately reached its climax when Mr McKellar’s loud music was playing “over the top” of the cricket Shinnick was trying to watch on TV.
Shinnick, the court heard, had taken a “cask of wine” into his bedroom prior to the incident, and was “too intoxicated” to engage in an interview with police when they eventually arrived at the property.
“Mr McKellar next woke in response to a sharp pain in his left arm,” Justice Gray said. “He observed you standing over him and stabbing him in the chest multiple times.
“Mr McKellar recalls you holding a red-handled knife and saying to him ‘you wanted to die, didn’t you?’. He recalled the last stab to the side of his chest was making a ‘strange noise, like air being let out of a tyre or something like that’.
“You contacted emergency services and made a number of comments to the operator, including admissions that you had stabbed Mr McKellar multiple times and that he was ‘riddled with cancer and wanted to die before Christmas’. You also stated that he wanted you to let him die.”
Emergency services were called to a home on Eringa Court, in Craigmore, about 9.15pm on the night of December 23 last year after reports of an assault.
Shinnick was initially arrested and charged with Mr McKellar’s attempted murder but, in September, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of aggravated cause serious harm with intent.
On Wednesday, Justice Gray accepted Shinnick was “remorseful” for his offending, while noting Mr McKellar’s injuries were life-threatening “if not treated properly”.
“Mr McKellar remarks that he has experienced nightmares most nights and feels fearful of those around him – avoiding going out if he can,” she said.
“He feels that you betrayed his trust and now has issues trusting others.
“He struggles with everyday tasks such as carrying groceries due to the injuries caused to his arm. He does not think he will be able to work again, and continues to deal with debilitating pain from the stab wounds.”
Justice Gray sentenced Shinnick to seven years, two months and 13 days jail with a non-parole period of four years – backdated to when he was taken into custody on December 23 last year.
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Originally published as Paul Damian Shinnick, 64, jailed after stabbing Craigmore housemate Steven McKellar seven times
