The younger sister of a woman whose partner bludgeoned her to death using a metal dumbbell has lashed plans to release him from prison early.
Victorian woman Katie Haley, 29, was brutally murdered by her partner Shane Robertson in 2018 while their 11-month-old daughter slept in the room next door.
The mother-of-two had told Robertson she wanted to leave him after he became increasingly jealous over the course of their four-year relationship.
Just minutes after the fatal assault, Robertson called his mother and told her: ‘I’ve done it. I’ve bashed her brains in. There’s brains everywhere’.
He plead guilty to murder and was jailed in March 2019 for 24 years. The judge ruled he must serve at least 19 years before being eligible for release.
Six years later, Katie’s family have been dealt a devastating blow.
Katie Haley (left) was violently murdered by her jealous boyfriend Shane Robertson (right)
Bianca Unwin, Katie’s younger sister, has expressed her dismay at a decision to reduce Robertson’s 24-year prison sentence due to Covid hardships
Robertson will not serve his entire non-parole period and will have more than a year taken off his sentence due to hardships during the Covid lockdown.
Katie’s younger sister Bianca Unwin, a vocal advocate for domestic violence victims, expressed her disappointment at the decision in a TikTok video in May.
Ms Unwin said that Robertson didn’t call for help after the assault, had sparked a manhunt after fleeing the scene and had failed to show any remorse.
‘Does that sound like someone who should be eligible for a reduction in their sentence because of the hardships they faced during Covid,’ she said.
‘To me that sounds like the worst type of person to be releasing early. He showed no remorse despite pleading guilty and the courts deeming that as remorseful.
‘He pleaded guilty to a crime he couldn’t deny because he confessed to his mother and he was caught by police. That is not remorse. He didn’t call for help.’
She said her sister’s killer had committed a ‘horrible crime’, but was being given a reduction of ‘up to 14 months’ because of ‘mental hardships’ prisoners faced from being ‘locked in their cells during lockdown’.
‘Make that make sense,’ she said.
Corrections Victoria use Emergency Management Days (EMDs) to reduce a prisoner’s sentence if they are behind bars during an emergency or industrial disputes.
Inmates were automatically considered for EMDs during the Covid pandemic.
Six years after her death, Katie’s family have received a devastating blow
Shane Michael Robertson was jailed for 24 years for brutal murder of his girlfriend
Katie’s family launched a petition for Corrections Victoria to cancel EMD in May, saying it posed a significant risk to community safety.
‘Violent offenders like Shane Robertson should serve their full sentences as decreed by the courts without any reductions or early releases. This ensures a form of justice for victims and their families and protects society from potential harm,’ it read.
The Change.org petition has so far received over 16,000 signatures.
It’s understood the Victorian government stopped inmates from being automatically considered for EMDs from February 1, 2023.
Meanwhile Bianca, now a mother-of-two herself, and her father have become vocal advocates for victims of coercive control and domestic violence.
Bianca posts TikTok videos about Victoria’s corrective system, legislation, domestic violence and updates about her sister’s case almost daily.
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