GUILTY OF CALLOUSLY
A FORMER Townsville woman who stabbed her partner twice before waiting at least 20 minutes to call for medical help, has been sentenced for her “awful, bizarre, evil” attack.
Faye Marie Belcher, 50, was charged with attempted murder, alternatively malicious act with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (domestic violence offence).
In the Rockhampton Supreme Court on September 12, Belcher was arraigned on the alternative charge and she pleaded guilty.
The Crown did not proceed further with the attempted murder charge and Belcher was discharged in respect to that.
The court heard the victim was John Christopher Webb – Belcher’s 48-year-old de facto partner.
Belcher had been in a relationship with Mr Webb for about five years, and they had resided in a unit on Upper Dawson Rd, Allenstown, Rockhampton.
On November 1, 2020, Belcher and Mr Webb were at the unit drinking a cask of wine together and they were arguing throughout the day.
The court heard the arguing centred around Belcher’s “extreme jealousy” and her accusing Mr Webb of infidelity.
Somewhere around 1.36pm, when there was no arguing, Belcher grabbed a pocket knife and inscribed Mr Webb’s initials into her leg.
Mr Webb then inscribed Belcher’s initials into his upper thigh.
After this, there were further arguments and those escalated.
At 2.45pm, Mr Webb’s mother, then 71, disabled and living about four-and-a-half hours away, called Belcher’s phone.
During the phone call, Mr Webb asked his mother for money for a bus fare and said he “had to get out” of there.
Mrs Webb responded: “Can’t you find somewhere safe to go?”
Belcher said: “You have to give him the money to get out of here.”
Because it was a Sunday, Mrs Webb told her son that he would have to go somewhere until Monday when she could put money in his bank account.
Belcher then began “rambling” on the phone to Mrs Webb, saying Mr Webb had given her a disease and done other things.
Belcher told Mrs Webb words to the effect of “it’s going to be too late” and the phone went quiet, the court heard.
About a minute later, Belcher got back on the phone and told Mrs Webb: “It’s too late, I’ve stabbed him and he’s bleeding out on the patio.”
Mrs Webb pleaded with Belcher to call an ambulance.
Belcher said: “No, I’m going to sit here and watch him bleed out.”
Mrs Webb again pleaded with Belcher to call an ambulance but Belcher instead put the phone up to Mr Webb. His mother asked if he was alright, and Mr Webb “could only respond with two grunts.”
Belcher said to Mrs Webb: “Do you want a photograph of him bleeding out?”
Mrs Webb then hung up.
In the space of eight minutes, Belcher had stabbed Mr Webb twice.
She then waited for around 20 minutes to half an hour before calling triple-0 for medical assistance, the court heard.
When Belcher was on the triple-0 call, she lied, saying: “I just had someone run in and stab us up. And, um, I need someone here for my partner please.”
Both police and paramedics attended and Belcher lied by telling them there was “a run-in” and that a “couple of people” had entered the home. Belcher was not able to give police a description of “the people” who were described in court as “false assailants”.
Mr Webb was taken to Rockhampton Hospital with two stab wounds – one in his upper abdomen, the other in his chest area. He was taken straight to an operating theatre where he had a laparotomy.
In theatre it was discovered that Mr Webb had lost around five litres of blood and sustained internal injuries, including to his liver.
“In surgery they washed out his cavity, which means they had to open him right up, right up his body,” Justice Graeme Crow said.
“There was surgical closure of the injury to his liver.”
Justice Crow went on to describe the other medical treatments Mr
Webb received before saying a doctor had determined that without treatment it was “highly likely” Mr Webb would have died from the ongoing internal bleeding in his abdomen. In a November 2020 police interview, Belcher continued to deny being responsible for Mr Webb’s stab wounds, instead claiming he had come and showed her the wounds, and that she called an ambulance.
Chilling phone call from prison
While on remand at the Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre, Belcher made some telephone calls and they were recorded.
The court heard that during a phone call with one of her daughters, the following exchange took place:
Belcher said: “I know, but you don’t realise how much you miss your grandkids til you’re locked up. All over a f---ing drug. That’s how I see it. I lost everything because of that f---ing alcoholic.”
The daughter said: “Yeah.” Belcher said: “I just hope he knows how lucky he is to still be breathing, that c--t. That’s all I know. He’s just lucky I had a heart,” the
court heard.
The daughter said: “Mum, it’s still recording, you know that.”
Belcher said: “Hey.”
The daughter said: “It’s all on record you know.”
Belcher said: “That’s okay, he’s just lucky that I have a heart and rang the ambulance cause in all honesty, I should have let him die. That’s what I should have done. Then I would have had reason to be in here.”
Lost trust in people
The court heard in Mr Webb’s victim impact statement, he said he didn’t expect to be stabbed, he thought it “was crazy” and he thought he was going to die.
“He recalls losing consciousness, waking up in the ICU,” Justice Crow said.
“He says due to surgery he has staples inserted from near his groin, right through to his sternum.
“He has a scar that runs in that area which will forever remind him of the attack … he says it’s a very obvious permanent scar – it looks like a zipper.”
The victim impact statement also described how since the stabbing, Mr Webb “has bad dreams, is anxious, has lost trust in people, doesn’t want to go out, and can’t interact particularly with women.”
The court heard that Belcher initially had a positive relationship with Mr Webb, but it deteriorated due to “alcohol abuse, arguments and toxic behaviour.”
It was told that Belcher, a mother of five and grandmother to 15, had no ties to Webb and they had no reason to see each other ever again.
Judge labels attacker ‘callous’
The court heard Belcher had some criminal history but it was “limited.”
“Of concern, there is some history relating to a degree of violence, relating to relationship issues and alcohol,” Justice Crow said.
Justice Crow noted that Belcher eventually calling triple-0 had saved Mr Webb’s life, but he said the delay in calling was “callous.”
“The taunting of his mother was callous. As I’ve said to your counsel, perhaps a high degree of intoxication could explain such awful, bizarre, evil conduct.
“Then you’re doubling down whilst in prison is mean and nasty … and of … great concern to me, saying you should have killed a person.
“It really does reflect a lack of remorse which is a significant feature in the sentencing of persons that have caused serious criminal offences.
“There were two stab wounds. You not only struck in the passion of the moment, you obviously struck again.
“It is an aggravating, and a seriously aggravating feature, that this is a domestic violence offence.
“Whether it’s men perpetrating violence against women, or women perpetrating violence against men, domestic violence will not be tolerated. You will be severely punished. Because lives are at risk and too many lives have been lost.”
Justice Crow accepted that Belcher had entered an early plea of guilty, co-operated with authorities, and saved the victim “a great deal of trauma” and the State “a great deal of expense” in not conducting a trial.
Before sentencing, Justice Crow noted Belcher had family support (four family members were present in the courtroom) and that upon release from jail she planned to move closer to her family at Childers.
“Your prospects of rehabilitation are excellent if you stay away from excessive use of alcohol or use of alcohol, undertake the appropriate courses which will be offered to you.”
Justice Crow sentenced Belcher to seven years’ jail, declared 678 days in pre-sentence custody as time served, and set parole eligibility for March 2, 2023.
It’s too late, I’ve stabbed him and he’s bleeding out on the patio