Murderer David Copland jailed for seven months over suffocating Bendigo woman in front of daughter: Court

A convicted murderer who gloated about slitting his mother-in-law’s throat as he suffocated a Bendigo woman in front of her 10 year-old daughter will walk free from prison in a month.

David Copland was jailed for 7 months and 7 days for a vicious attack on a woman in front of her daughter.

A convicted murderer who gloated about slitting his mother-in-law’s throat as he suffocated a Bendigo woman will walk free from prison in a month.

David Copland, 40, was jailed for seven months and seven days after pleading guilty at Bendigo Magistrates’ Court threatening to kill two women and suffocating one, while on parole for the vicious murder.

However, he will be back in the Bendigo community in just a month, with almost six months of his sentence already served on remand.

David Copland viciously attacked a woman in front of her 10-year-old daughter.

Copland was released on parole in May 2023 for the brutal 2005 murder of Janine Gray, breaking into her Melton South home and stabbing and slitting her throat in front of her daughter who he was in a relationship with.

As Ms Gray lay dying in a pool of her own blood, Copland sang and danced, with his chilling taunts at the victim’s desperate daughter recorded on a triple-0 call.

Six months out of prison, Copland threatened to kill another mother in front of her daughter – gloating about his vicious killing of Ms Gray.

The court heard Copland got into a fight over a parking place with a female neighbour in October, telling her: “I just got out of jail for 18 years for killing a chick don’t think I won’t do it again”.

The next day, Copland got into a violent argument with another woman, saying she was hiding drugs from him.

He pinned her down on the bed with his knees in her back, holding her face in the pillow for about 30 seconds so she couldn’t breathe.

The victim fought back, “enraging” the murderer who grabbed a mop handle, cornered the woman in a bathroom and said: “I’ve killed my mother-in-law and spent 17 years in (prison) … you’re nothing to me”.

Copland left his victim and her daughter traumatised and fearing for their lives.

The woman screamed for help from her 10-year-old daughter who came in and begged Copland “don’t hurt my mother”.

The victim was left traumatised and living in a state of fear for her and her daughter, the court heard.

When police arrived Copland was “aggressive and agitated” saying he had “done nothing wrong”, but continued to verbally abuse the woman and child in front of authorities.

Copland then continued to harass the victim, sending her “manipulative” and “coercive” messages and calls about her and her daughter while on remand.

Copland will be released in about a month.

Despite the horrific display of violence reminiscent of his murder of Janine Gray, Copland was assessed as “suitable” for community corrections.

His lawyers argued Copland was at risk of institutionalisation as they asked for a community order to help him reintegrate with society, saying he had failed to gain employment while on parole due to his murder conviction which had lead him to fall back into drug use.

Magistrate Johanna Metcalf convicted and jailed him.

He will be released in about a month to an 18-month community corrections order where he will undergo treatment and therapy.