Candice Harper, Benjamin McCartin sentenced for murder of Ricky Rowlands

Fiery scenes erupted inside a court after a trio was sentenced over the murder of a father.

A murdered father raised his hands in defence before he was held down and stabbed to death, a court has heard.

Ricky Rowlands, 46, died after he was stabbed three times on the evening of October 10, 2020 near the Ibis Hotel in Melbourne’s CBD, which was being used to house the homeless during Covid-19 lockdowns.

Mr Rowlands ex-partner Candice Harper, her new partner Jamie Holt and his friend Benjamin McCartin were convicted of murder after a five week trial at the end of last year.

Candice Harper, pictured being led into the Supreme Court in a pre-sentence hearing earlier this month, was found guilty of a jury along with two others of murdering her former partner Ricky Rowlands. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

Justice Stephen Kaye, who sentenced Harper and McCartin in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, imposed lengthy terms of imprisonment on the pair for what he described as an attack by three people on an unarmed person.

In his sentencing remarks, Justice Kaye said McCartin stabbed Mr Rowlands in the lower back, chest and abdomen in a fight that occurred near the intersection of King and Bourke Sts at about 9:30pm, with the final two wounds inflicted as he was constrained by his ex-partner and Holt.

The court heard that Harper “berated” the man with whom she shared a daughter, who was in the public gallery for her mother’s sentence, for 60 seconds while he lay bleeding profusely on the ground.

Benjamin McCartin being led out of a prison van into the Supreme Court prior to a pre-sentence hearing over the death murder of Ricky Rowlands. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

Mr Rowlands was rushed to The Royal Melbourne Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery, but his injuries were deemed to be unsurvivable and he died at about 6am the following morning.

McCartin fled the hotel that night via a fire escape after changing his clothes but was arrested four days later, while Harper and Holt were arrested on the night of the incident.

The court heard that Harper, McCartin and Holt were all living at the Ibis Hotel during lockdown, while Mr Rowlands was living with his daughter in the inner-city suburb of Princes Hill.

On the night of his murder Mr Rowlands had ventured into the CBD and to the Ibis Hotel in a state of intoxication, and had been encouraged multiple times to leave by Harper, the court heard.

But the court heard her attitude towards her former partner, with whom she had been in relationship for four years in the early 2000s, changed when he had slung her into the ground during the course of the argument which claimed his life moments later.

Justice Kaye said Harper had made attempts to diffuse the situation, and found her moral culpability to be less than that of McCartin’s.

Jamie Holt, Harper’s partner, will be sentenced for his role in Ricky Rowlands’ murder at a later date. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

Harper, 46, was sentenced to 18 years prison for Mr Rowlands’ murder with a 13 year non-parole period.

The court heard she has previous offences from the Magistrates’ jurisdiction, but had not been to prison prior to this incident.

Harper was labelled a “dog” and told to “rot” by supporters of the victim as she was lead by security from the dock to the exit of the court.

The court heard McCartin, 43, had an extensive criminal history that had included multiple terms of imprisonment.

Addressing him, Justice Kaye said “it was you who took the lead and advanced on Rowlands,” and said he had “lined him up” prior to stabbing him.

McCartin was sentenced to 22 years prison with a non-parole period of 16 years.

He was labelled “fatboy” as he was led out of the court by a supporter of Mr Rowlands.

The court heard that Holt’s sentencing had been adjourned while more psychological assessments were carried out.