Judge slams ‘appalling’ attack on sleeping man left to burn alive
A cowardly criminal who admitted to setting a man alight before leaving him to burn alive is a “disgrace to the human kind”, his devastated partner says, while a judge has labelled the attack “appalling”.
Police & Courts
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A cowardly criminal who helped set a man alight before leaving him to burn alive is a “disgrace to the human kind”, the victim’s devastated partner has said.
Phillip Payet miraculously survived despite suffering horrific burns to 75 per cent of his body after he was doused in petrol and set on fire as he sat sleeping in his parked car outside his Frankston home in December 2016.
Clinton Phillips, an ice addict with a history of frenzied armed robberies, had no explanation for why he went with co-accused, David Maddox, to the young father’s home in the early hours of December 27, the court heard.
Mr Payet recalled feeling “cold and wet” after he woke to find Maddox dousing him in petrol.
Seconds later, he was engulfed in flames and rolled out of the car screaming in pain.
Phillips pleaded guilty to one count of recklessly causing serious injury, while Maddox — who poured the accelerant and lit the match — has admitted to intentionally causing the horrific burns.
Mr Payet’s partner, Liz Lewis, said the memory of the attack still haunts her more than three years on.
“I woke to see my partner’s car engulfed in flames.
“I wasn’t aware at the time my partner was burning alive inside,” Ms Lewis said.
Mr Payet, 39 at the time, was placed in an induced coma for two months, losing half his body weight and was forced to learn how to talk, walk and eat again.
“I watched the man I love reach temperatures of 50C, praying to god his body would fight off any infections,” Ms Lewis said.
Mr Payet, who still wears a full face compression mask for his burns, was supported in court by his family.
A tearful Ms Lewis said Phillips had ruined her family’s lives forever and recent incidents including New Zealand’s White Island volcano eruption and the violent murder of Hannah Baxter and her three children by car fire in Queensland had been particularly traumatic.
“You’re a pathetic excuse for a human being … a disgrace to the human kind,” she said.
Just months after the attack, Phillips went on to rob a jewellery store, petrol station and Subway restaurant at knifepoint during a drug-induced crime spree with his girlfriend.
Phillips was serving a jail term for armed robbery when he was charged with Mr Payet’s gruesome assault.
Defence lawyer Melinda Walker said her client had accepted he was facing a lengthy sentence behind bars for the extraordinarily serious crime.
The court heard Phillips had been unemployed and had a $600 a day ice habit at the time of the offending.
“It got out of control,” Ms Walker said.
Judge Elizabeth Gaynor labelled the attack “so appalling”.
“They left a burning man behind, there was no attempt to help this man, he was just left to his fate.
“The injuries are horrendous, they’re lifelong and the effect on his family have been devastating,” Judge Gaynor said.
The sentence will be delivered on March 26.
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