Luke Delphin jailed after supplying teen Alesha Fernando with GHB
A CRIMINAL who plied a 13-year-old girl with a deadly date rape drug that killed her could be back on the street in a little over a year.
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A SEASONED criminal who supplied a drug to a 13-year-old girl who overdosed and died as he slept on top of her has been jailed for a minimum of two years.
Luke Delphin has already spent 346 days in custody, and will be eligible for parole in a little over a year.
Delphin supplied deadly drug GHB to two children, including Alesha Fernando, at his government-funded apartment while on parole in June, 2017.
The County Court has previously heard Delphin supplied more of the drug to Alesha than anyone else on the night and told her she was “hot”.
MORE: LUKE DELPHIN ADMITTED SUPPLYING THE GHB
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Delphin, who pleaded guilty to a raft of offences which ended in Alesha’s death in 2017, told police the two girls had said they were aged 17.
After receiving a maximum sentence of three years and six months and a non parole period of two years, Alesha’s mother, Katrina Gavan, turned to Delphin and mouthed the words: “Three years. Three years. ..... I’m not happy with that.”
Supplying drugs to a child, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years jail, was one of 13 charges he was sentenced over in the County Court today.
Other offences Delphin was sentenced over included punching an arresting police officer, for which he was sentenced to one month jail, stealing cars, possessing drugs and driving offences.
During the prosecution a series of charges were withdrawn.
Police had investigated sexual assault in this case.
He was charged with an indecent act in front of a child but it was withdrawn.
Delphin looked shocked after hearing his sentence. His defence had submitted options for a community based order with time served.
Outside court Ms Gavan said nothing could bring back her daughter.
Ms Gavan said Alesha had rejected Delphin’s sexual advances and was given a dosage of a date rape drug five times what he supplied the others in the Dandenong unit.
She said his intentions were clear.
“I hope that Luke Delphin understands the irreversible repercussions of his actions and decides to change the direction of his life and that others learn too so no other child will be taken in such a tragic, unnecessary way,” she said
Ms Gavan said the Victorian Government needed to investigate the government-funded housing provided to parolees in relation to their “processes, judgment, level of supervision, accountability and duty of care to the community.”
She said she did not understand how providing a “wholly unsupervised, tax payer funded accommodation to persons such as Luke Delphin, who has an “extremely low IQ, a history of crime and extreme drug abuse” could occur.
“No sentence will ever bring back my beautiful girl, Alesha, home again but government authorities must take steps to minimise the risk of future tragedies,” she said.