Katie Haley’s family receives ‘worst news’ six years after her murder

The family of a mum who was murdered by her partner have revealed they have recently been given the “worst news” about his prison sentence.

The family of a woman who was murdered by her partner six years ago are furious to learn he won’t serve his entire non-parole period.

Katie Haley, the 29-year-old mother-of-two, was one of 63 women killed by a male partner in 2018, after Shane Robertson beat her to death with a dumbbell while the couple’s child slept nearby.

Katie’s father, Boyd, and his wife got a call from police around midnight on March 9, six years ago, about Robertson’s ex-partner, saying police were trying to get in touch with he and Katie.

They couldn’t get in touch with Katie and after more than three hours, the family learned the awful reason why.

Katie Haley was murdered by Shane Robertson in 2018.

It has been close to six years since Katie’s death but now the family has been dealt yet another blow. Robertson is set to have more than a year shaved off his sentence because his time in prison during the Covid-19 pandemic included harsher isolation requirements.

Corrections Victoria uses what are known as Emergency Management Days to reduce an offender’s non-parole period if an emergency or industrial dispute impacts negatively on their time behind bars.

The prisoner must have displayed good behaviour and would usually need to apply for a sentence reduction. But the Covid-19 pandemic meant that prisoners in Victoria were automatically considered for Emergency Management Days.

News.com.au understands that EMDs are no longer automatically considered with this ceasing on February 1, 2023.

Katie’s family has launched a petition to call on the Victorian government to cancel EMD.

“We were doing heaps of advocating,” Bianca Unwin, Katie’s sister, told news.com.au.

Bianca and her father have become vocal anti-domestic violence advocates.

“It was a big month and within that week we had the Safe Steps vigil and dad found out he was going to Canberra to be part of the crisis talks. After the Cabinet meeting we got an email notifying us that our sister’s murderer was getting a reduction in his sentence.”

Bianca said she “couldn’t believe it” when she saw how much Robertson’s sentence was being cut by. Her question is this: Why should he get days back when she can’t get days back with her sister.

“I was devastated. I actually burst into tears reading and I called my dad and my dad hadn’t even had time to look at the emails,” Bianca said.

“My mum was out so she hadn’t seen the email. So it was only me. I felt like I was giving them the worst news because it was two days after dad gave a speech at the Safe Steps vigil about our loss and how massive the losses (are for) all victims and families and how 19 years non parole is not enough, only to find out it’s even less now.”

Bianca said the family is trying to spread awareness about things such as coercive control and other signs of domestic violence. And, their campaigning is working.

The family has had many reach out to their page to ask for help escaping abuse.

Katie’s killer’s non-parole period has been cut. Picture: Jason Edwards

“Prior to the notification from the government [about Robertson] I was feeling like we might have actually made some significant change. Obviously my feelings did change,” she said.

“The outcomes of the National Cabinet didn’t go far enough. It felt like a save-face tactic.”

A spokesperson for Victoria’s Department of Justice and Community Safety said: “Our thoughts are with the Haley family as they continue to try and deal with the trauma of Katie’s death,”

It’s been six years since Katie was ripped from Bianca’s life. She thinks about her sister every day and ever gave her daughter Katie as a middle name.

“I always think about what my sister would have been like as an aunty because I know she would have been the best,” she said.

“We are constantly seeing her children grow up and doing their firsts and we wonder what she would have been like.”

For more information on the petition, click here.

Originally published as Katie Haley’s family receives ‘worst news’ six years after her murder