Outback killer Pande Veleski thought he would save the world by stabbing French backpacker Phillippe Jegouzo to death, court hears

OUTBACK killer Pande Veleski thought he would save the world by stabbing French backpacker Phillippe Jegouzo to death, a court has heard

Outback killer Pande Veleski thought he would save the world by stabbing French backpacker Phillippe Jegouzo to death, a court has heard

OUTBACK killer Pande Veleski had gone off his anti-psychotic medication and thought he would “save the world” by killing someone when he attacked French backpacker Phillipe Jegouzo, the Northern Territory Supreme Court has heard.

Veleski on Friday pleaded not guilty by way of mental impairment to Mr Jegouzo’s murder at a rest stop north of Alice Springs on November 30, 2016.

The plea was accepted by the Crown and the court, as were pleas to two counts of assaulting police and one count of attempting to escape custody.

The court heard Veleski, 37, of Preston, Victoria, pulled in to the Connor Well rest area where Mr Jegouzo, 33, and his partner, Aurelie Chorier, then 30, were making a cup of coffee.

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Jegouzo washed his thongs at a tap before walking up to Mr Jegouzo and stabbing him in the neck 20 times with a pair of scissors, undeterred by Ms Chorier throwing a fold-up table at him.

Mr Jegouzo was never able to get to his feet during the attack, and died shortly afterwards in the arms of strangers who performed CPR on him, who Ms Chorier had flagged down after Veleski fled.

Veleski told two psychiatrists he killed Mr Jegouzo in the belief he would “save the world” by doing so.

The psychiatrists, Dr Lester Walton and Professor David Greenberg, both concluded Veleski was unable to reason whether his conduct was wrong.

Members of Mr Jegouzo’s family appeared in court on Friday where they read aloud victim impact statements detailing the impact of Veleski’s murder of their son and brother.

Sylviane Chatry, Mr Jegouzo’s sister, said he was a cheerful man who loved life.

“When they arrived in Australia we all felt reassured because for us they were in a safe country,” she said.

She said when the phone rang and she was told her brother had been killed she spent most of the night awake “trying to understand what had happened”.

“I miss my brother, my kids miss their uncle,” she said.

Mr Jegouzo’s twin sister, Isabelle Jegouzo, told the court her birthday was no longer a happy occasion.

“This person, whom I don’t know, hasn’t just killed someone, he has devastated an entire family,” she said.

Chief Justice Michael Grant said Mr Jegouzo’s family had concerns about why Veleski was able to go off his medication, but said the Supreme Court wasn’t the forum for investigating those concerns.

Chief Justice Grant said the “brutal and senseless murder” of Mr Jegouzo was felt most by Ms Chorier, who the court heard “feels her life no longer has any meaning”.

Veleski, who had no record of violent offending, was ordered to 20 years of custodial supervision under the care of the chief executive of the Health Department.