Emotion, alcohol both factors in stabbing murder of partner inside Hobart social housing unit

A Tasmanian woman found guilty of murdering her partner during a drunken fight inside his flat nearly three years ago committed the crime “in a split-second act”, a court has heard.

Walford Terraces (formerly Windsor Court) housing development, Harrington Street, Hobart.

A Tasmanian woman found guilty of murdering her partner during a drunken argument inside his flat nearly three years ago committed the crime “in a split-second act”, a Hobart court has heard.

Annette Louise Ruth Hancock, 55, had pleaded not guilty to one count of murder, following allegations she used a large kitchen knife to kill her partner of three years, 51-year-old Benjamin Harris, at his Harrington Street social housing complex on the night of March 9, 2022.

On Monday, prosecutor Jack Shapiro told a sentencing hearing before Justice Helen Wood that Hancock had only just been released from prison for breaching a family violence order involving the victim when the murder occurred.

Police at the scene in Harrington Street after fatal stabbing. Picture: Chris Kidd

Mr Shapiro said the couple had been drinking heavily on the day in question, and began to quarrel after Mr Harris admitted to being unfaithful to Hancock while she was incarcerated.

Enraged by Mr Harris saying his lover was “better” than her, Hancock armed herself with a knife and delivered a stab wound to his back, puncturing his lung and causing cardiac arrest due to blood loss.

Mr Shapiro said although the murder was not premeditated, it was aggravated by the fact it occurred within the context of a significant relationship, was in breach of police family violence order, and that the victim was intoxicated and unable to protect himself.

Police at the scene in Harrington Street after fatal stabbing. Picture: Chris Kidd

A victim impact statement from the deceased’s mother, read to the court by prosecutors, described a son who was loving, kind, and patient, and who was desperate to beat the clutches of alcohol dependency.

“Mum I need to change this, I can’t be like this anymore,” Mr Harris told his mother during a phone call just weeks before his death.

Defence counsel, Kim Baumeler, told the court that her client had descended into alcohol dependency a decade ago following the breakdown of her 20-year marriage, but had successfully undergone treatment on numerous occasions before relapsing.

Ms Baumeler said the defendant had effectively been homeless when she was released from prison in February 2022, and had been relying on Mr Harris for accommodation at the time the offence was committed.

Justice Wood adjourned the sentencing hearing to 28 March 2025, and remanded Hancock in custody.