Anniversary of death leads to court breach

DRINKING alcohol on the anniversary of the death of slain Toowoomba mother and grandmother Debbie Combarngo has ultimately put one of the “Wilsonton Nine” back before the Toowoomba Supreme Court.

Ashley Aaron Fing, 29, was sentenced to five years in jail, suspended after the 906 days he had already spent in custody, and placed on three years probation after pleading guilty to his role in the manslaughter of Debbie Combarngo who was bashed to death in her Wilsonton unit on the afternoon of May 6, 2018.

At sentence, the court accepted Fing had not inflicted any violence himself that day and was not in the room when the alleged fatal blow was struck but he pleaded guilty as being a party to the crime.

Since his release on the suspended sentence, Fing had twice been caught driving with breath alcohol readings four times the legal limit and, after conviction and sentence for those offences, was recommitted to the Toowoomba Supreme Court for breaching his suspended sentence and probation order.

Fing pleaded guilty before that court on Tuesday.

His barrister David Jones said his client had an issue with alcohol abuse and the first drink-driving offence came on the anniversary of Debbie Combarngo’s death.

When he was sentenced, the judge accepted Fing’s apology and remorse were genuine, he said.

As part of his strategy toward rehabilitation, upon his release from custody Fing had moved away from Toowoomba and lived in Brisbane and then Clermont, he said.

However, he returned to Oakey after taking up with a new girlfriend but it was his intention to move to Brisbane soon, Mr Jones said.

Justice Martin Burns told Fing he had been placed on probation so he could get help for his issues but he had walked away from that help.

“You know you’ve got a problem with alcohol, don’t you?” Justice Burns asked Fing, who nodded in agreement from the dock.

Noting Fing had two and a half years left on the suspended sentence, Justice Burns activated 12 months of that term but ordered he be released immediately on parole.

The probation order was to continue.