Judge hands down sentence for two men found not guilty of murder

Two men acquitted of the murder of a Sprent man in 2022 told the court “obvious lies” a judge has said in sentencing remarks. How long the pair will spend behind bars.

Roo Poo Paper handmade by Burnie Creative Paper Tasmania, wins national tourism award the Memento of the Year Award, Dean Jupp forming a water leaf

Two men have been sentenced for their role in a burglary that left a Sprent man dead.

Blaise Christopher Baddeley and Dane Ronald Pyke were accused of murdering 59-year-old Dean Jupp but were found not guilty by a jury on March 28 after a month-long trial in the Burnie Supreme Court.

On April 16 Justice Tamara Jago sentenced both of the men to several years in prison for their role in the incident, after they were found guilty of burglary charges by the jury.

In sentencing remarks Justice Jago rejected the claims that the pair knew “nothing of the fatal injuries that were inflicted on Mr Jupp”.

Blaise Christoper Baddeley and Dane Ronald Pyke were found not guilty by a jury of murdering Sprent man Dean Jupp. Picture: Elise Kaine

“In my assessment, the accounts given by the defendants of seeing nothing, hearing nothing and being largely oblivious to how the extensive injuries were inflicted upon Mr Jupp, are obvious lies,” Justice Jago said.

Justice Jago said Baddeley and Pyke went to the Chilcotts road property to steal firearms in January 2022, after spending the day using methyl amphetamine.

She said it was a “planned and targeted break in” to steal firearms for “sinister purposes”.

She said Pyke was particularly keen to obtain the firearm, which he believed was an AK47, in order to threaten drug associates he was feuding with.

All the participants donned face masks and gloves on the way to the property and made at least one stop to use more methyl amphetamine.

On arrival, Justice Jago said, Mr Jupp tried to flee and was chased and subsequently assaulted by Baddeley. Baddeley’s evidence stated that he tackled Mr Jupp at the end of his driveway and tied him up with an extension cord, but he was not injured in the process.

Justice Jago rejected this claim and said DNA evidence showed there was a “substantial” pool of blood at the top of the driveway.

She said she was satisfied that the violence inflicted during the aggravated armed robbery was “not insignificant” and that Mr Jupp was “quite badly hurt” at the time he was dragged to another part of the property.

Dean Jupp

Justice Jago said Mr Jupp was left “vulnerable” tied up to an animal shelter where “someone inflicted further serious violence upon him, which was ultimately causative of his death”.

Justice Jago said while neither defendant was found criminally liable for Mr Jupp’s death, it was a “very serious example” of aggravated armed robbery, as it left the victim vulnerable to further violence without any viable means to escape or protect himself.

In her sentencing remarks Justice Jago said the verdict was not a finding that either of the men were innocent of the crime, but that the jury was not satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that they were criminally liable.

The jury found Baddeley guilty of one count of burglary, one count of aggravated burglary, one count of aggravated armed robbery and one count of stealing.

He was found not guilty for the crimes of murder and unlawfully setting fire to property.

Baddeley was convicted of all the crimes he was found guilty of and ordered to serve six years and six months imprisonment, with eligibility for parole after four years.

The jury found Pyke guilty of one count of burglary, one count of aggravated burglary, one count of stealing and one count of unlawfully setting fire to property.

He was found not guilty of the crimes of aggravated armed robbery and murder.

Pyke was also convicted and sentenced to five years and three months imprisonment, with a minimum sentence of three years.

Justice Jago said the two men’s moral culpability for these crimes was “exceptionally high” and most members of the community would find the actions “morally reprehensible”.

She said the men acted “indifferent” toward the crimes and showed no remorse.

Originally published as Judge hands down sentence for two men found not guilty of murder