An Adelaide father who tried to gas himself and his young daughter has been jailed for more than 14 years for the girl’s attempted murder.
Shaun Mate and his three-year-old daughter were found unconscious in July 2020 in what a judge described as a vindictive act of domestic violence.
In the days leading up to the crime, Mate had bought two gas tanks, setting his plan in motion after an argument with his then-wife.
Shaun Mate has been sentenced to prison. (new)
Sentencing him in the Supreme Court on Friday, Judge Geraldine Davison said the impact of the 45-year-old’s offending was significant and widespread.
“Unfortunately, in many marriage breakdowns, when feelings run high and parties feel wronged and vindictive, the idea of depriving your partner of one of the greatest joys in life can seem like a way to get revenge.” , he said. .
“There is a significant element of vindication, planning and preparation in your offense.”
On the night of the crime, Mate had made a photo montage of the couple, which he played on television and told his wife: “this is what you’re going to miss.”
Judge Davison said he then became angry and his ex-wife began to feel unsafe and called the police.
Emergency services at the house on the night of the incident. (new)
The police arrived and the couple agreed to stay in a room downstairs.
The judge said the girl’s mother woke up during the night to find her daughter missing from her bed and when she tried to open the door to her husband’s bedroom he told her to “go away, already we’re getting some sleep.”
At that point, the mother heard her daughter’s moans and the sound of gas and called the police again.
While Mate had barricaded himself, officers finally gained entry where they found the girl unconscious and suffering from hypoxia.
Judge Davison said that while the offense was planned and premeditated, she accepted a psychologist’s finding that Mate was suffering from major depressive disorder at the time.
However, he said he considered his crime to be at the higher end of the scale.
The man was sentenced to 14 years and three months in the Supreme Court in Adelaide. (Google Maps)
“The victim was a vulnerable three-year-old boy. His planning indicates that this was a premeditated crime,” the judge said.
“It was the greatest breach of trust ever placed in a father. Your intention was to take your son’s life as an act of vindication against your wife by depriving her of that child.
“Your plan failed due to your wife’s luck waking up and acting as quickly as she did, along with the first responders.”
Judge Davison jailed Mate for 14 years and three months, reduced from 15 years because of his guilty plea.
He set a non-parole period of nine years.
If you or someone you know needs help or information about domestic abuse, you can call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732).