Stuart Lee sentenced at Supreme Court in Ballarat for killing Colin Bainbridge at Wheatsheaf

The family of a father-of-three murdered near Daylesford have described their devastation following the killer’s “vicious and barbarous” crime.

Stuart Leslie Lee, 65, was sentenced at the Supreme Court in Ballarat for murdering 66-year-old Wheatsheaf cabinet market Colin Bainbridge. Picture: Facebook

A paranoid and “heartless” former soldier set on fire and killed a loving family man after a dispute at a rural property, falsely claiming he was defending himself.

Stuart Leslie Lee, 65, faced Supreme Court in Ballarat on Thursday where he was jailed for at least 27 years after pleading guilty to murdering 66-year-old Wheatsheaf cabinet market and father-of-three Colin Bainbridge.

The court heard that on March 14, 2023, Lee threw petrol on Mr Bainbridge and set him alight while Mr Bainbridge was doing land clearing work with his son on a Wallaby Rd property.

Lee, who lived next door, had an argument with Mr Bainbridge before calling Daylesford police station in hysterics.

Five of his calls went unanswered, but the sixth went through to Bacchus Marsh.

During the poor-quality phone call, an officer told him to call triple-0, to which Lee responded: “If you’re not coming, I’m going to go and murder my neighbours.”

Emergency services at the property in Wheatsheaf, near Daylesford. Picture: 7NEWS

He then fetched petrol and a lighter, climbed over his fence, and attacked Mr Bainbridge, later claiming he felt threatened and wanted to give the “mild-mannered and community minded” Mr Bainbridge permanent scars to “teach him a lesson”.

He recalled thinking to himself: “If you do this, Stuart, you could spend the rest of your life in prison,” but decided it was “worth going to prison for – you’ve got to stop this guy”.

In what Judge Andrew Tinney called “shocking and heartless conduct”, Lee set Mr Bainbridge on fire in view of his son.

The son, exposed to “complete horror”, eventually managed to extinguish the flames, and his father told him: “I can’t believe this bastard has done me in.”

Mr Bainbridge died about 12 hours later.

He was described in court as intelligent and loving, with he and his wife habitually saying they loved each other each night.

“You have robbed Mrs Bainbridge of experiencing that gift every day,” Judge Tinney said.

The court heard Mr Bainbridge was a skilled craftsman and loving family man. Picture: 7NEWS

Lee, who has a personality disorder, was born in Melbourne and brought up in Essendon.

He worked as a jockey, then in factories, then in the Army reserve.

Judge Tinney said Lee had a “sad and unfortunate view of the world” and was “unrestrained by normal human empathy” amid his anger and resentment.

He said he had a “complete lack of remorse” about his “vicious and barbarous” actions, and denied his guilt for nearly two years after his “brutal” crime.

“The horror, anguish, and devastation to which your conduct exposed [Mr Bainbridge’s son] was extraordinary,” Judge Tinney said.

“The pain and anguish you caused to Mr Bainbridge himself … is incalculable.”

He said death by burning was “so brutal as to be beyond the understanding of most civilised human beings”.

The court heard he had threatened to kill another person by fire just three years before his murder of Mr Bainbridge – which he continues to try to justify.

Judge Tinney sentenced Lee to 35 years in prison, with a 27-year non-parole period and 835 days already served.

Lee looked at the floor throughout most of his hearing and did not noticeably react to his sentence.

Mr Bainbridge was flown to hospital with life-threatening injuries after the assault. Picture: 7NEWS

Outside court, Mr Bainbridge’s family members said they felt the sentence was appropriate and hoped for a degree of closure.

“The court’s had a lot of criticism of late,” Mr Bainbridge’s brother Steven said.

“In this case they’ve got it right.

“It was a horrific crime: it’s been devastating for the family.”

He described Colin as “a very gifted man” and a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, and uncle.

“He’s really sorely missed,” he said.

Colin’s nephew Lindsay Bainbridge called it “a profound waste”.

“It’s a waste of (Lee’s) life, it’s a waste of Colin’s life, and there’s a whole lot of devastation for many members of the family,” he said.

“But now it ends.”