Stalker who murdered Celeste Manno jailed for 36 years

“Crimes akin to these are profoundly disturbing,” she stated.

Manno’s household, wearing all black, bowed their heads and a few cried as they heard the sentence. Sako, carrying a gray jail tracksuit, sat expressionless within the dock.

Exterior courtroom, Manno’s mom, Aggie Di Mauro, stated the system failed Celeste 3½ years in the past, and had failed her once more on Thursday.

“Right this moment’s end result proves simply how flawed the justice system is,” she stated.

“It’s outrageous, completely unbelievable, that the courtroom determined to grant him mercy though he confirmed Celeste none. Fairly clearly his proper to mercy was extra vital than her proper to life.

“Clearly I’m devastated, all of us are.”

Di Mauro stated the prosecution argued for a life sentence as a result of it was such a vicious, hateful and vengeful assault on an harmless younger lady.

“At this level, I can solely pray that the [Director of Public Prosecutions] and Court docket of Enchantment recognise that true justice on this case calls for a life sentence,” she stated. “Something much less will not be solely a grave injustice to Celeste however completely fails the group’s expectations on this case.”

Lower than a month after the homicide, the state authorities dedicated to “urgently” overview the best way the allegations of stalking are handled in Victoria, tasking the Victorian Legislation Reform Fee to overview stalking legal guidelines.

The ensuing report – the primary Australian inquiry into non-family violence stalking legal guidelines – was launched in July, 2021, and tabled in parliament a number of months later. It discovered the felony justice system was not dealing successfully with stalking, with studies typically minimised or trivialised.

It contained 46 suggestions, starting from larger group training about what stalking entails, to enhancing the swamped private intervention order system and rising steering for police and courts to determine and prioritise stalking instances, notably these which might be excessive threat.

On Thursday, Di Mauro stated that after three years of conferences with varied stakeholders, together with figures within the state authorities, many guarantees had been made to alter the system and honour Celeste’s legacy, however few had been adopted by means of.

“There have been a lot of guarantees made. None of them honoured. All of them look the half, say what wanted to be stated, after which dishonour my daughter on this method,” she stated.

In an announcement, Legal professional-Basic Jaclyn Symes stated she acknowledged the ache felt by Manno’s household and family members and their ongoing advocacy in her reminiscence.

“We’re persevering with to work on how we are able to higher defend victims of stalking – as a result of we all know that stalking may cause lasting hurt to survivors’ psychological and bodily well being and may escalate to extra critical offending,” she stated.

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“This work is advanced and takes time to verify we greatest defend victims of stalking – I stand by my promise to Celeste’s household that we’ll introduce change that displays the seriousness of this crime.”

Throughout a January plea listening to, the prosecution argued that Sako ought to obtain a life sentence for the homicide, describing it because the worst offending of its sort and pointing to proof they stated confirmed intensive premeditation.

Sako drove from his household house in Roxburgh Park to Manno’s house in Mernda on the day of the assault, the place he scaled the aspect fence, walked into the yard and used a hammer to smash the glass of her bed room window. He was additionally carrying a knife he had purchased three months earlier.

He stabbed her repeatedly at the same time as she raised her arms and tried to defend herself. He was out of the automobile for simply two minutes and 39 seconds earlier than driving himself to the native police station, the place he was arrested.

The prosecution had argued that Sako was motivated to kill out of rejection, humiliation, jealousy and rage, which had peaked when he noticed an image Manno had posted on social media of her along with her new boyfriend, Chris Ridsdale, on November 15, 2020.

Prosecutor Patrick Bourke, SC, stated Sako had additionally relentlessly tried to shift the blame and keep away from accountability for his conduct because the homicide, which indicated that he was not keen to have interaction in rehabilitation and remedy.

However Sako’s lawyer, Tim Marsh, described his consumer’s prospects of rehabilitation as “open” and stated a life sentence was not applicable.

Marsh stated whereas there was proof of some premeditation, Sako’s psychological state within the months earlier than the homicide was “advanced and shifting”.

He stated that the motive was extra advanced than the prosecution made out and was sophisticated by Sako’s excessive character issues, which “contributed extensively to the the reason why he dedicated this offence” and lowered his ethical culpability.

Dixon on Thursday stated Sako was more likely to have skilled intermittent homicidal ideation within the lead as much as the homicide, and that seeing the picture of Manno and her boyfriend was the ultimate set off for the offending.

She stated whereas anger and jealousy have been components within the homicide, Sako’s motive was additionally sophisticated by his problematic character traits, which led him to have severely impaired judgment.

The intense character dysfunction performed a big function within the fee of the offence, she stated, including that he was nonetheless able to figuring out the distinction between proper and incorrect when he killed Manno.

If Sako had not pleaded responsible, she would have sentenced him to 40 years in jail with a non-parole interval of 36 years.