HUTCHINSON APPEALS

Wife killer says 15- year term ‘ excessive’

WIFE killer Michael Hutchinson will appeal his prison sentence on the basis it is too harsh. Hutchinson ( left) was convicted of the manslaughter of wife Julie in March and sentenced to 15 ½ years jail. But the ex- security guard wants the sentence reviewed, arguing it is “manifestly excessive”.

CONVICTED wife killer Michael Hutchinson will appeal his Supreme Court sentence on the basis it is “manifestly excessive”.

Hutchinson was found guilty of the manslaughter of Queensland Nickel scientist Julie Hutchinson after a weeklong trial in March and sentenced to 15 years and six months jail.

The former Townsville security guard was also sentenced for fraudulently taking out a second mortgage on their home without his wife’s knowledge.

He will be eligible for parole in 2027 after serving 80 per cent of the sentence.

A Justice Department spokeswoman said Hutchinson had lodged an appeal in the Court of Appeal, on the grounds the sentence was “manifestly excessive”.

Julie Hutchinson’s sisterin- law Rochelle Beraldo said the family had been told to expect an appeal but had not known what the grounds were.

“It’s a burden on us waiting again,” she said. “It’s like a heavy weight on you again, another process with more waiting, more uncertainty, more angst.

“There’s so many doubts and you can’t take anything for granted.”

Mrs Beraldo said two months on from the trial, the family was still processing their grief.

“( The trial) was so enormous and so much to comprehend, it’s going over and over in our head. It’s still very fresh and raw,” she said.

“You almost have this fantasy that once the trial is over things will be better. The trial’s over. Now what? We’re still in this terrible situation.”

While most Townsville families celebrated on Sunday, Julie’s two sons had another Mother’s Day without their mum.

Julie’s body has never been found but Hutchinson told police he left her near Herveys Range.

When Justice David North sentenced Hutchinson in March, he said he had lied by saying he didn’t know exactly where he left his wife’s body.

“Things like Mother’s Day are a reminder that we don’t have anywhere to go – we can’t go to the cemetery and lay flowers,” Mrs Beraldo said.

“Are we never going to find her? Are we never going to have a place to go?”

The appeal hearing will be in the Brisbane Court of Appeal, but a date has not yet been set.

It could be months before the matter goes to court.

Mrs Beraldo said a family representative would travel to Brisbane for the hearing.