Bernard John Robbins, 59, jailed for murder of his brother Kenneth Robbins, 61, at Buderim

A Sunshine Coast man, who fatally stabbed his brother who had come to Queensland for his wedding, has been found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

A Sunshine Coast man, who fatally stabbed his brother who had come to Queensland for his wedding, has been found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Bernard John Robbins, 59, had pleaded not guilty to the murder of his brother, Gregory Kenneth Robbins, 61, at Buderim on June 13, 2019.

The Crown alleged Bernard took two knives from a kitchen and stabbed his brother in the garage of his Buderim home, out of rage, after Greg made comments to his fiancé that threatened his wedding.

 

Greg, who had come from Western Australia for Bernard's wedding three days later, was stabbed seven times, with five in the chest and abdomen considered lethal, the Supreme Court heard.

 

The jury returned a guilty verdict at 3.45pm on the sixth day of the Supreme Court trial, after deliberating for almost eight hours.

"The jury must have accepted that he acted in rage to kill his brother," Crown prosecutor, Chris Cook said of Bernard.

"Significant violence caused his death on the night."

 

 

Greg Robbins was stabbed to death by his brother, Bernard John Robbins, just days before Bernard's wedding.

 

Chief Justice Catherine Holmes said "You killed your brother in what should have been a happy setting, of his coming to Buderim with his partner for your wedding.

"I accept it was a product of rage fuelled by alcohol. ... I accept that you must regret that and will continue to do so for the rest of your life.

"You clearly had some feelings for your brother or you would not have invited him to your wedding.

"But having said that, what you did had such appalling consequences for so many people."

The Chief Justice said the horror of that night had been inflicted on Bernard's own daughter Annie, his partner Sally Doring and Greg's partner, Karen Vanden Drieson, who had been together for a pre-wedding gathering at the Buderim unit.

All if them had to relive it, having had to give evidence in the trial.

The Chief Justice said Ms Vanden Drieson's victim impact statement made it clear that she was having enormous trouble getting over it.

"It was a horrific, traumatic event. She saw it ... she was sober, she saw the whole thing, she saw her partner dying," the judge said.

"And she continues to struggle and probably will for the rest of her days as a result of your unleashing your worst instincts that night."

The judge said Bernard had also deprived Hayley Robbins, who sat through the trial, of her father.

 

Greg’s partner Karen Vanden Drieson (centre) at the Supreme Court after giving evidence. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

 

It would be harder for her because she would never have an opportunity to reconcile with her father, after they had been estranged.

"It's such a grim set of events for everyone concerned," Chief Justice Holmes said.

She sentenced Bernard Robbins to life imprisonment, declaring that he had already served 686 days in custody.

The court heard prior to the stabbings, the brothers had been drinking and arguing, but Mr Cook said after things had calmed down Bernard became the aggressor.

After seeing the brothers arguing, three days before the wedding, Bernard's fiancé Sally Doring said to him: "If this is how you're going to behave I'm not marrying you on Saturday".

Mr Cook said Bernard set upon his brother, thinking his wedding was in jeopardy.

Bernard told the Supreme Court he was "pretty upset" about his brother earlier asking his fiancé: "Are you really going to marry this c...?".

Bernard had claimed Greg threw the first punch in a fight in his unit garage and got him in a headlock with so much pressure that he couldn't breathe.

Giving evidence in his defence, Bernard told the court he lashed out twice with a paring knife he saw on a nearby massage table, but denied he had brought two knives from his kitchen before the stabbings.

The jury rejected the submissions that he acted in self defence or under provocation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Originally published as Life in jail for brother's violent pre-wedding murder