21 YEARS FOR KILLING MATE

A LAUNCESTON man who murdered his friend in an “explosion of violence” has been sentenced to 21 years’ jail. Justice Michael Brett told the Supreme Court yesterday that while he accepted Anthony Colin Finnegan, 36, had not intended to kill Peter John Fitzgerald during a fight on December 1, 2016, “you should have stopped to think about the consequences”.

A LAUNCESTON man who murdered his friend in an “explosion of violence” has been jailed for at least 14 years.

Two weeks ago, a Supreme Court jury found Anthony Colin Finnegan, 36, of Prospect, guilty of murdering Peter John Fitzgerald, 56, on December 1, 2016, at a unit in the Launceston suburb of Summerhill.

Finnegan was sentenced in the Supreme Court in Hobart yesterday.

The court heard Finnegan, Mr Fitzgerald and another man had been drinking for several hours when a fight started between Mr Fitzgerald and Finnegan.

Justice Michael Brett said Mr Fitzgerald hit Finnegan in the jaw and Finnegan retaliated, hitting Mr Fitzgerald a number of times and causing him to fall to the laundry floor.

Justice Brett said Finnegan kicked and stomped on Mr Fitzgerald while he was lying on the ground, causing him to lose consciousness.

“There is no doubt you showed a callous disregard for your friend’s welfare,” Justice Brett said.

He said he accepted Finnegan did not intend to kill Mr Fitzgerald, but Finnegan ought to have known kicking and stomping on Mr Fitzgerald while he was on the floor could have caused death.

“You should have stopped to think about the consequences,” Justice Brett said.

He also said Finnegan did not check on Mr Fitzgerald before he left the unit, and boasted about the attack in a phone call afterwards. Justice Brett said it was “brutal and unrestrained violence against a man who was not able to de- fend himself” and an “explosion of violence”.

Justice Brett said Finnegan’s propensity for violence when under the influence of alcohol was a “dangerous element” of his character.

He said Finnegan had a dysfunctional upbringing that included violence and abuse towards him. He said Finnegan also had a “significant problem” with alcohol abuse.

Justice Brett sentenced Fin- negan to 21 years’ jail, with a non-parole period of 14 years.

Outside the court, Mr Fitzgerald’s daughter Ellie Fitzgerald said no amount of prison time would serve as justice for the loss of her father.

“The only sense of redemption would be that nobody comes to harm at the hands of the accused in the future,” Ms Fitzgerald said. “My dad was my best friend and I’m very lucky for the time that I had with him.”