Justin Fuller jailed for manslaughter of Guy McCulloch at Belmont South in 2018
Justin Fuller was acquitted of murdering Guy McCulloch when he stabbed him to death at Belmont South in December 2018, but on Monday faced a manslaughter charge, with a family member blowing up in court over his sentence.
Newcastle
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The half sister of a Hunter man, who stabbed her boyfriend to death, has stormed out of a Newcastle court room yelling “what the f**k is that s**t” when he was sentenced to more than six years behind bars.
During a two-week trial in September Justin Fuller, 33, was acquitted of murdering Guy McCulloch, 50, at Belmont South in December 2018.
He instead pleaded guilty to manslaughter after the frenzied attack on Beach St, which was sparked by a long-running and bitter family feud.
In Sentencing Fuller on Monday, Newcastle Supreme Court Justice Richard Cavanagh said he had identified remorse and accepted responsibility for his actions, but it was ultimately a “violent” crime.
“He stabbed him five times while he was defenceless sitting in the driver’s seat,” Justice Cavanagh told the court.
“He deliberately brought two big knives to the scene of conflict.
“Such extreme violence was perpetrated in a street, in view of a number of people.”
The court heard, Fuller had a long history of conflict with his half sister Kristy Duley, the partner of Mr McCulloch, who had also played a “significant” role in being part of that conflict.
It was on December 19 almost two years ago, tensions rose when Fuller and his then partner, Narelle Abercrombie, drove past Mr McCulloch and Duley, who called out “tick tock” in aggravation, according to police facts.
The court heard there were disputed facts that Fuller had punched Ms Duley in the head through the window several times during a heated confrontation, which he had denied, before McCulloch reversed into Fuller’s vehicle with Ms Abercrombie inside, causing significant damage.
It then escalated from there when Fuller went to Ms Abercrombie’s house and took two 30 centimetre machetes from a bag before he returned to Beach street, thinking he could use them to “scare” McCulloch and Duley off.
“What, you want some of this,” Fuller said brandishing the weapons, before he started chasing McCulloch’s vehicle, the court heard.
But when the vehicle suddenly stopped and then reversed Fuller’s way, he reached into the driver’s side and launched an attack on Mr McCulloch as he sat in his vehicle, stabbing him five times, one of which a fatal strike which penetrated his liver.
The court heard that during the two-week murder trial, Fuller denied he intended to kill Mr McCulloch and had “had enough” of the conflict.
The jury considered partial defences of extreme provocation and excessive self-defence, before he was found not guilty of murder.
Justice Cavanagh told the court the offending by Fuller was objectively “very serious” and noted it was difficult to comprehend the trauma Ms Duley had suffered seeing her partner for life being stabbed right in front of her.
Fuller was sentenced to nine years jail with a non-parole period of six years and three months. He won’t be eligible for release until March 2025.