Wife killer Borce Ristevski’s “total lack of remorse”
Wife killer Borce Ristevski will spend more years in a jail cell over the senseless murder of his wife Karen.
Ristevski has previously been handed a prison sentence of nine years but was ordered to serve a minimum of six years.
It was a sentence that prosecutors labelled as “manifestly inadequate”.
However, on Friday morning three judges from the Court of Appeal made a ruling on whether Ristevski deserved to be in prison for longer
Chief Justice Anne Ferguson said this morning that his previous sentence had been set aside and he has since been sentenced to 13 years behind bars.
His new non-parole period is now 10 years.
Ristevski, who appeared to the three judges via video link, sat emotionless with his arms folded as the judgement was read out.
His and Karen’s daughter, Sarah Ristevski sat in the back row of the court gripping onto a scarf and left quickly after the decision was handed down.
The young woman has always publicly supported her father but has rarely attended court. She did not attend the Court of Appeal hearing in November.
Chief Justice Ferguson said Ristevski displayed a “total lack of remorse” for the murder of his wife.
“His conduct after he killed his wife significantly aggravated his offending,” she said.
“Ms Ristevski should have been safe in her own home.”
The 55-year-old killed his wife Karen in June 2016 at the couple’s Avondale Heights home.
He then drove with her body to the north of Melbourne to bushland at Mount Macedon where he dumped the body between two large logs.
Karen was not to be discovered for eight long months while her husband lied to detectives and his own daughter about his involvement in her disappearance.
Ristevski confessed to the killing on the eve of a Supreme Court trial this year but refuses to say why or how he killed his wife.
Ristevski’s lawyer David Hallowes told the court his client was a good man last month.
“He was a man of good character,” he said to the court.
“He was 55, had no prior convictions. Your honours have read the character reference of (his daughter) Sarah Ristevski. He contributed to society. He worked hard.”
However, prosecutors say his silence should mean he pays a price.
Prosecutor Brendan Kissane said that Ristevski’s silence was an indication of the seriousness of the killing to the court last month.
“What silence means … when one puts all of that together … what one can say about what occurred in the house is that it must’ve been something significant,” he told the court.
“What one concludes is that something bad must have happened in the house.”
Mr Kissane said Ristevski’s lies that began immediately after he senselessly killed his wife should also be given greater weight.
“That continues to this day,” Mr Kissane said.