Jeremy Garvey, 27, and Luke Jones, 26, faced sentencing in the NSW Supreme Court yesterday after being found guilty of killing 60-year-old cement renderer, Phillip Steele back in December 2018.
The court heard that Garvey and Jones had been posing as police officers during the day when they arrived at Mr Steele’s home on the NSW north coast, and made off with his wallet, containing $1000.
Later that night, the pair returned to Steele’s home accompanied by a 19-year-old accomplice that the court referred to as ‘Fletcher’.
The three men then covered their faces with black material before breaking into Mr Steele’s home through a rear window. The court heard that Jeremy Garvey was armed with a machete at the time.
Mr Steele was then stabbed 23 times by Garvey.
Justice Robert Hulme sentenced Jeremy Garvey to 29 years in prison with a non-parole period of 25 years and nine months, citing a deprived childhood and early drug use as reasoning for lessened culpability.
Garvey was also convicted of dangerous driving causing death over a car accident that killed his friend Keira Barrett who was pregnant at the time.
Justice Hulme sentenced Luke Jones to 28 years in prison with a non-parole period of 22 years and three months, saying that Jones was “motivated by his addiction to drugs at the time and the negative company he was keeping”, rather than a desire to kill Mr Steele.
The 19-year-old accomplice known as ‘Fletcher’ throughout the trial had been previously sentenced to 15 years in prison with a non-parole period of 11 years and three months for his role in the death of Mr Steele.
His lesser sentence was said to be a result of his willingness to assist police, his age, his lesser criminal record and genuine remorse.
