Jaymes Todd claims he didn’t deserve life sentence for murder of Eurydice Dixon
The man who cruelly raped and murdered aspiring comedian Eurydice Dixon is appealing his life sentence, claiming it was “particularly severe” for someone of “otherwise good character”
Law & Order
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Sadistic killer Jaymes Todd says he did not deserve life in jail because he had never committed a crime before he stalked, raped and murdered comedian Eurydice Dixon.
Todd, 20, is taking his fight for a lesser sentence for his brutal and depraved crimes to the Court of Appeal.
The Herald Sun can reveal in his application for leave to appeal, lodged with the court last week, he claims his sentence was “manifestly excessive”.
His lawyers argue Todd’s “otherwise good character”, along with his youth, background, admissions to police, early guilty pleas, remorse, and the fact he suffers Asperger’s syndrome should have seen his punishment discounted.
“Those considerations in combination rendered a sentence of life imprisonment particularly severe, more severe than that disposition would already be but for their presence,” their application said.
Justice Stephen Kaye’s life sentence with no chance at parole until after serving 35 years behind bars was “unreasonable”, they said.
The experienced judge had ignored submissions by the prosecution against a life term, with Todd’s lawyers saying while he was not bound to “he ought to have”.
“A sentence other than life imprisonment was open — and by virtue of the principle of parsimony, thus required — to be imposed,” they argue.
“He was a young offender who had no prior convictions. His upbringing had been characterised by dysfunction, chaos, filth, squalor, isolation and neglect.”
The fact his time behind bars is in protective custody, and his autism, makes a life term “especially severe”, they said.
Todd stalked Ms Dixon, 22, for more than an hour before attacking her as she walked through Princes Park following a comedy gig on June 12 last year.
He pleaded guilty to four charges: murder, rape, attempted rape and sexual assault.
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Justice Kaye, in sentencing Todd to life, said he had to protect the community.
Todd, who was diagnosed with a sexual sadism disorder, was playing out a disturbed sexual fantasy when he killed Ms Dixon. He went home and watched violent porn afterwards.
Justice Kaye said Todd’s sexual motivation for his offending was the “darkest form of human thinking”.
Todd is asking the Court of Appeal to re-sentence him and fix a different non-parole period.
A hearing date is yet to be set.