A 21-year-old man who killed an elderly man as well as stabbing his wife and dog in a “callous and senseless act of unimaginable violence” has been sentenced to life in prison.<\/p>\n
WARNING: Some readers may find details in this story distressing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pasifique Zawadi Niyonyishi murdered Colin Norton, 81, in his Greenwood home in an incident that triggered a brief lockdown for residents.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the Perth Supreme Court heard he also stabbed Mr Norton’s 75-year-old wife Margaret in their home on March 4 last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Police had responded to a neighbour’s triple-0 call that a man had been injured on Mattison Way just after 8am that morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Emergency authorities rushed to the scene of the stabbings in suburban Greenwood. (ABC News: Rebecca Trigger)<\/p>\n
On arrival, they discovered Mr Norton with critical head and other injuries and Mrs Norton with serious abdominal injuries.<\/p>\n
Argument with son<\/p>\n
The court heard the offender was friends with the elderly couple’s foster son Charlie.<\/p>\n
Charlie and the offender had spent time together the day before, the court heard, and later in the night drank with friends in a hotel room.<\/p>\n
The court heard the pair were both intoxicated and had a heated verbal argument, before Niyonyishi was escorted out of the hotel.<\/p>\n
The court heard Niyonyishi repeatedly told friends in person and through a voicemail sent in the early hours of March 4 he wanted to kill and stab Charlie because he had “disrespected” him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Detectives outside the Greenwood house where Colin Norton was fatally stabbed and his wife Margaret was injured. (ABC News: Rebecca Trigger)<\/p>\n
Niyonyishi arrived at the Norton’s family home in Greenwood before 8am and told Mr Norton he wanted to see Charlie.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After being welcomed into the home, the court heard Niyonyishi took a knife from the kitchen and stabbed Mr Norton before turning his attention to the couple’s dog and his wife.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Niyonyishi then stabbed Mrs Norton in the stomach, and their dog who was defending her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The court heard Mr Norton then armed himself with a pole and tried to stop Niyonyishi, who grabbed the pole from him and repeatedly struck the 81-year-old in the head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mrs Norton was able to escape to find help from her neighbour.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘Unimaginable violence’<\/p>\n
Mr Norton died at the scene after receiving traumatic brain injuries and his wife was taken to Royal Perth Hospital for treatment.<\/p>\n
Supreme Court Justice Michael Gething described Niyonyishi’s offending as a “callous and senseless act of unimaginable violence”.<\/p>\n
Police had declared a “serious armed incident” at the time of the event and Greenwood residents were briefly locked down.<\/p>\n
Niyonyishi, then 19,\u00a0was taken into custody in Kingsley, about 10 minutes away.<\/p>\n
History of trauma<\/p>\n
Defence lawyer Helen Prince told the court Niyonyishi has bipolar disorder, hypomania and complex PTSD.<\/p>\n
The court heard Niyonyishi was born in a refuge camp in Tanzania, in East Africa, where he was exposed to “extreme violence” which included machete attacks.<\/p>\n
His family moved to Australia, arriving in Perth in 2014.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Helen Prince said Niyonyishi had expressed remorse over the attack. (ABC News: Mya Kordic)<\/p>\n
A psychiatrist who assessed Niyonyishi told the court the man appeared “depressed” and “remorseful” and could reflect on the seriousness of his actions.<\/p>\n
“The real tragedy of this, is the fact he was always welcome into their [the Norton’s] home,” she said.<\/p>\n
“He said they were warm and kind people.”<\/p>\n
The court heard this was in contrast with Niyonyishi’s behaviour during his police interview.<\/p>\n
“He was laughing inappropriately, [during the interview with police] he did not appear to be a person who understood at that time what he had done was real,” the psychiatrist said.<\/p>\n
‘A horrible death’<\/p>\n
Supreme Court Justice Gething handed Niyonyishi a sentence of life in prison for the count of murder.<\/p>\n
He sentenced the 21-year-old to 10 years in prison for the attempted murder of Mrs Norton, to be served at the same time as his life sentence.<\/p>\n
Justice Gething found Niyonyishi’s mental impairments contributed to the attack.<\/p>\n
“No one in their right mind would have done what you did,” he said.<\/p>\n
The offender was arrested in a neighbouring suburb.\u00a0 (Supplied)<\/p>\n
Justice Gething said the offending showed a “callous disregard of life”.<\/p>\n
“It must have been incredibly frightening for him \u2026 he suffered a horrible death,” he said.<\/p>\n
The court heard Niyonyishi later wrote a letter to Charlie expressing his remorse and regret.<\/p>\n
The Perth Supreme Court was filled with members of Niyonyishi’s family and supporters, while some members of the Norton family watched on via video link from New Zealand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Life of service<\/p>\n
In victim impact statements read to the court, Mr Norton’s children and grandchildren described him as a selfless man who “lived his life in service of others”.<\/p>\n
“This has been the most painful experience of my life,” one of Mr Norton’s sons wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another of the Nortons’ children said their father “guarded and protected his wife to the end” and he was taken from the family in the “most tragic circumstance”.<\/p>\n
Niyonyishi appeared emotionless as his sentenced was handed down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He must serve a non-parole period of 18 years.<\/p>\n
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