Convicted killer Jayscen Anthony Newby will spend at least five more years in prison after the ACT Court of Appeal ruled his original sentence was “grossly insufficient”.
Key points:
- Jayscen Newby killed Frankie Prineas, stabbing him 37 times after he broke in with a woman he dated
- Newby was originally sentenced to 20 years in prison with a period without parole of 10 years
- Today, his sentence was increased to 24 years in prison, with a period without parole of 15 years
Newby, 28, could be seen on a video link to Canberra jail, pacing and knocking on the door, as he waited for the judge to arrive in court this morning.
Newby had previously been convicted of the 2020 murder of Frankie Prineas, who went on a Tinder date that night with a woman Newby had previously had a relationship with.
The court heard Newby burst into the couple while they were in bed at the woman’s home in Charnwood and stabbed Mr Prineas 37 times, including in the heart.
In June last year, Newby was sentenced to 20 years in prison with a period without parole of 10 years.
At the time, Mr Prineas’ family said the sentence was too short and they were ‘stunned’ by the outcome.
The original judge described the scene as a “bloodbath”, saying Newby showed no remorse.
The Court of Appeal also noted the extreme violence of the crime in its reasons for extending Newby’s sentence today, explaining how the couple did not even know each other.
“Mr. Prineas had done nothing to provoke Newby,” the appeals court said, noting that Mr. Prineas was “naked and defenseless.”
Prosecutors had told the Court of Appeals that Newby had been given too much of a discount for his guilty plea and that there was insufficient explanation for the short period not granted parole.
A key question was whether the original judge should have recognized that there was an overwhelming prosecution record and weighed the reduction for a guilty plea based on that.
The Court of Appeal today upheld the prosecution’s argument.
“If not accepted, there needed to be a clear and express explanation of why the prosecution’s case was not found to be overwhelmingly strong, particularly given the circumstances of the case.”
The court allowed the prosecution’s case and sentenced Newby to 24 years in prison, with a 15-year non-release period, meaning he cannot be released until 2035.