Harley David Wegener found guilty for the second time of the 2018 murder of Benjamin Suttie

A man has been found guilty for the second time of the murder of a much-loved family man whose throat was slashed with a scalpel-sharp knife in a park south of Brisbane following a chance encounter.

Harley David Wegener has been found guilty for the second time for the murder of Benjamin Suttie. Photo Supplied Facebook

A man has been found guilty for the second time of the murder of a much-loved family man whose throat was slashed with a scalpel-sharp knife.

Following a retrial Harley David Wegener, 36, was on Thursday again found guilty of the murder of Benjamin Suttie in August 2018 south of Brisbane.

Prosecutor Toby Corsbie said Mr Suttie’s senseless murder in a Woodbridge park during a chance encounter with the killer was to some extent inevitable given Wegener’s criminal history.

“This is a man who has been harming the community with knives [for a long time],” he said.

Heartbroken family members vented their rage and grief at Wegener in a series of powerful victim impact statements in Brisbane’s Supreme Court.

“It’s unfair that Harley gets to continue living his life, seeing family, breathing in air – all while Ben’s life was brutally stolen from him,” Ben’s sisters Jody Proctor and Catherine Tange said.

“Ben will never have the chance to see his children grow up, never get to experience the joy of seeing his family gather for holidays or milestones.

“Harley took that away now it’s time for him to face the consequences.

“We are so angry. So so angry. It burns deep inside us and it’s impossible to forget what he’s done.”

Mr Suttie and his partner Tina Elder had celebrated 20 years together just two months before he was murdered.

Ms Elder told Wegener, who was granted a retrial on appeal, that she hoped his actions “haunts your dreams and every thought until the day you die”.

The family of murder victim Ben Suttie leave the Brisbane Supreme Court after his killer Harley Wegener was sentenced to life in prison for the first time, in November, 2022. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

“Because of the actions you took that night a decent human being, Benjamin Suttie, lost his life, kids lost a father, siblings lost a brother, parents lost a son, friends lost a mate but me I lost my being, my heart, my friend, my soul.”

On the fatal night, Mr Suttie had been walking to the shops with his son Zac Elder through Prince Park when an initially friendly encounter turned deadly.

As Mr Suttie approached Wegener’s group, he said hello in a friendly manner but somebody in Wegener’s group, most likely the accused, responded aggressively.

Wegener then pulled out a knife with scalpel-like sharpness and swung at Mr Suttie’s face.

Mr Suttie’s carotid artery was severed by the knife causing massive blood loss and multiple organ failure. His life support was turned off a few days after the stabbing.

Mr Elder, who was just 19 when he saw his dad fatally stabbed, told the court today his father was “an amazing man”.

“After my dad passed away, life was painful, to say the least, as a family, we stand united together, supporting one another as we are today,” his victim impact statement said.

“Harley, you may have taken my dad’s life, but you will never take his voice, his name will live on forever.”

Mr Suttie’s devastated parents Lesley and David Proctor described a son that was generous, caring, loving and great fun to be around.

“Our family has been completely broken since he passed, even getting out of bed is a daily struggle for David and I. We are lost souls,” their statement said.

“Ben didn’t have a bad bone in his body. He would be the first person to give the shirt off his back.

Justice Kerri Mellifont said the victim posed no threat to Wegener when he lashed out with the “extremely sharp knife”.

“He was unarmed and had offered no physical violence to you,” she said.

“You abandoned Mr Suttie and you fled the area. This is to say at the very least shameful and cowardice conduct”

Justice Mellifont said Wegener had a “disgraceful” criminal history including several chilling knife incidents including reaching into a car at petrol station and holding a box cutter to a victim’s throat stating “I’m going to finish you now”.

She re-read passages of the victim impact statements to let words sink in before sentencing Wegener to the mandatory life prison term with a non-parole period of 20 years. Just over six years of presentence custody was declared as time served.

Originally published as Harley David Wegener found guilty for the second time of the 2018 murder of Benjamin Suttie