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A cowardly thug who bashed an elderly man to death during a violent hour-long crime spree in east Perth has been sentenced to life behind bars.
Convicted killer Quade Jones was described as ‘merciless’ by Supreme Court Justice Stephen Hall during sentencing while recounting the callous manner in which he attacked 84-year-old pensioner Emiliano Lombardi.
Mr Lombardi had been standing outside his home in East Cannington on August 16, 2020, when he was approached by Jones who was carrying a large shard of broken glass that was taken from a rear-view car mirror.
The grandfather was rushed to the Royal Perth Hospital and placed in an induced coma for a fortnight following the sickening attack. Mr Lombardi eventually woke from his coma but died 24 hours later with his family by his side.
Six other innocent people were randomly attacked by Jones on the same night as Mr Lombardi.
The crime spree began when Jones attacked a man in his car for no reason before leaving and attempting to enter a stranger’s home. He was first confronted by a woman who he grabbed by the hair and began shaking before attacking the woman’s housemate who attempted to intervene.
Soon after this attack, Mr Jones hit another woman and threw a can at her head before crossing paths with Mr Lombardi who was the fifth victim and lost his life as a result of his injuries.
Following the brutal attack on Mr Lombardi, Jones walked towards Beckenham station where he attacked another woman, and then jumped on a train to Armadale where he entered a pub and attempted to clean himself in the toilet.
During sentencing, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Hall described the attack as “mindless sustained violence”.
“This sort of behaviour strikes fear into most people because anybody could have been a victim that day,” said Mr Hall.
Jones eventually pled guilty to his crimes after initially claiming to be innocent. He will not be eligible to apply for parole until 2043.
