Man found guilty of setting girlfriend on fire lodges appeal, claiming jury member was ‘contaminated’
A man has appealed his attempted murder conviction and sentence, arguing the course of justice was perverted.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A CONVICTED attempted murderer, who was found guilty of setting his girlfriend on fire, has appealed his conviction and sentence, arguing a member of the jury had been “contaminated” to convict him.
Matthew John Davey, 39, is currently serving an 18-year jail sentence for attempted murder after he was found guilty by a jury last November of the 2017 crime at Chigwell.
In his handwritten notice of appeal lodged with the Supreme Court of Tasmania in December, Davey claimed the jury made mistakes “to convict of no evidence”.
He also argued he had “unfair representation” by his defence team and that he would “produce sworn evidence from an expert witness” proving the course of justice had been perverted “by a law officer contaminating a member of the jury to convict”.
On Wednesday, Davey appeared in court via video link from Risdon Prison before Justice Tamara Jago for an initial administrative hearing in his appeal case.
Lawyer Dinesh Loganathan, appearing via phone link, asked for a month’s adjournment to obtain and review the trial transcript.
While sentencing Davey last year, Justice Michael Brett said Davey “engaged in a continuous and marked pattern of coercive control” over his 24-year-old partner.
“On a number of occasions you made it clear to her that if she ever left you, you would find and kill her,” he said.
“You described to her the very specific ways that you would do this.”
On the day she made up her mind to leave Davey, he threw accelerant from a fuel can onto her in a shed at his father’s Chigwell home.
He then flicked a cigarette lighter at her, and “she was immediately engulfed in flames”.
With burns to 69 per cent of her body, the woman’s injuries were life-threatening and was placed into an induced coma.
Davey is serving a total prison time of 22 years, with a non-parole period of 14 years and three months, after he was also convicted of persistent family violence, trafficking firearms and trafficking a controlled substance.
Davey will return to court on March 16 for further mention and directions.
More Coverage
Drug addiction spirals out of control for 32-year-old man
A “significant” addiction to meth brought on a three-month long crime spree in an effort to fund the habit, a Launceston magistrate heard. Here’s what the court heard.
Brother secures $100k inheritance after challenging mother’s will
A 62-year-old Tasmanian man who was overlooked in his mother’s will in favour of his 57-year-old disability pensioner brother has been awarded $100,000 by the Supreme Court.