Man who harboured killer after roadside execution avoids jail time

The man who collected murderer Shannon James Duffy from Hobart – harbouring him in his apartment for several days – has avoided jail time.

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THE MAN who harboured murderer Shannon James Duffy after he shot his mate dead by a roadside has avoided time in jail.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to one count of perverting the course of justice by making false statements to police in the days following the April 2019 shooting murder of Jarrod Leigh Turner near Richmond.

The Supreme Court of Tasmania heard the man was contacted straight after the murder and told to collect Duffy and let him stay at his one-bedroom apartment in northern Tasmania.

Justice Michael Brett said Duffy stayed with him until he was arrested five days later.

“You had nothing to do with the murder,” Justice Brett said.

“You were not told anything about the murder, or indeed why you were being asked to provide (him) with accommodation. However, as requested, you travelled to Hobart that day (and) collected Mr Duffy.”

The judge said the man had not been charged with being an accessory after the fact, or with harbouring or providing assistance to Duffy – so would not be punished for “any such conduct”.

He said Duffy was arrested as he left the area, with police searching the man’s home.

Police told the man they’d arrested Duffy for murder – but the man knew already both because of inferences he’d drawn from media reporting and because Duffy had confessed to him the day before.

Justice Brett said the man initially lied to police about several matters, including claims that Duffy had travelled up to Fingal independently.

“You told some lies in the statutory declaration, and were not completely frank about the assistance you had provided to Duffy, because you were scared of the ramifications for yourself,” Justice Brett said.

“You had innocently become involved in a state of affairs of great seriousness, and, I infer, your capacity to cope with the anxiety produced by that situation was tested.”

The man was given a nine-month jail sentence, wholly suspended on the basis he not commit a crime punishable by imprisonment over the coming year.

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