A 41-year-old Warrnambool man previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter

Paul McDonough, 41, pleaded guilty in the Victorian Supreme Court on April 26 to manslaughter involving his partner Bekkie-Rae Curren-Trinca.

On Friday Justice Amanda Fox convicted and sentenced McDonough to serve 11 years and six months imprisonment, with a minimum of eight years and six months to serve before being eligible for parole.

He has already served 1243 days in custody, so will be eligible for parole in about five years.

Ms Curren-Trinca, 28, was found with head injuries at McDonough's Ocean Grove unit in Warrnambool on November 27, 2019.

She was flown to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where she died of blunt force head trauma on December 4.

In sentencing Justice Fox said the most serious aspect of the crime was the single strike which caused the death of Curren-Trinca, but that occurred in the context of ongoing family violence.

"Ms Curren-Trinca was attempting to end the relationship, and you knew that," she told McDonough said.

"You also knew that she was scared of you. Ms Curren-Trinca understood the danger you present to her life and she had every right to leave you.

"But, when she tried to flee on this day, you caught her and used your greater strength and size to physically throw her inside your unit.

"Once she was inside, you violently assaulted her and ultimately struck a blow to her face that caused her death."

Justice Fox said it was a serious example of family violence inflicted against a young woman who was trying to escape her life with McDonough.

She said serious violence continued to be committed by men against their female partners or former partners.

"It is prevalent and deeply shocking," Justice Fox said, adding that the community needed to know that such crimes would attract substantial periods of imprisonment.

She said McDonough and Ms Curren-Trinca started a relationship in 2019, but McDonough was controlling and sometimes violence, which included him punching her in the face.

Ms Curren-Trinca had told friends that she felt at risk at the hands of McDonough and she feared being killed.

By November 2019 Ms Curren-Trinca was at risk of serious domestic violence and unable to escape that risk.

Justice Fox said it was tragic that Ms Curren-Trinca had few accommodation options and was largely unsupported.

Ms Curren-Trinca had sought assistance from domestic service provider Emma House and was given temporary accommodation, but had to return to McDonough's unit due to a lack of options.

The justice said Ms Curren-Trinca wanted to report McDonough to police but she did not do so.

She had stayed at a caravan park at her own expense to escape McDonough.

Ms Curren-Trinca told McDonough in text messages she was not getting hurt by him again and that she was scared he would hurt her.

That was despite McDonough's apologies and his excuse that he had been coming down off drugs.

Ms Curren-Trinca said she was not just concerned about her feelings being hurt, but her face and eye which McDonough had previously injured.

She told friends she could not keep staying with McDonough as he had strangled her, given her a "hiding", that she feared being killed and was lucky to be alive.

When Ms Curren-Trinca went to collect her belongings at the Ocean Grove unit on November 26, McDonough returned home unexpectedly and she twice tried to run off but he chased her down.

One witness saw McDonough pick up Ms Curren-Trinca like a rag doll and throw her two metres through the front door.

Justice Fox said that during that day McDonough assaulted Ms Curren-Trinca, hitting her multiple times all over her body.

Neighbours tried to intervene and at 12.30am the next morning there was more noise and angry voices.

At 10am the next day McDonough called triple zero and requested an ambulance attend at his unit, but he did not go home.

A friend said McDonough appeared dazed and spaced out, he said he had "f...d up and recalled seeing a pool of blood.

McDonough also told a friend he expected to be going away for a long time.

He said he did not mean to do it and had put Ms Curren-Trinca in a shower to rouse her.

Justice Fox found that the assault started about 5.30pm on November 26 and lasted for an unknown time.

During the course of the assault McDonough punched Ms Curren-Trinca to her right eye, fracturing her eye socket as well as ribs and a hand.

There were bruises all over her body and Ms Curren-Trinca had been hit with a linear shaped weapon.

At one stage McDonough had punched Ms Curren-Trinca to the face, she fell and hit her head, sustaining an injury which caused bleeding to her brain and ultimately resulted in her death.

Justice Fox said victim impact statements showed that Ms Curren-Trinca's sister, brother, sister-in-law and best friend were all struggling with their grief and heartache.

She said the family was shattered, it was clear that Ms Curren-Trinca was much-loved and that the family would continue to struggle with their profound loss and pain.

The justice said McDonough had suffered a number of concussions during his life in vehicle accidents before suffering similar injuries fighting in prison.

She said McDonough's relationships were marred by family violence, they broke down and had resulted in lengthy jail terms.

He also had a long history of illegal drug use, using alcohol and cannabis as a teen before progressing to methamphetamine aged 20 and by 2013 he was a heavy ice user.

She said McDonough had a chaotic and unstable lifestyle and drugs significantly contributed to his criminal history, which involved serious assaults, aggravated burglary, behaving in a riotous behaviour and driving matters.

In 2008 he was in court for assaulting a partner, later he breached a suspended sentence for that offending, also assaulted his sister and in 2011 seriously assaulted an ex-partner's father.

He spent periods in prison between 2011 and 2019.

McDonough was released from police custody after two days for minor offending on November 26, 2019 - the same day as the assault started on Ms Curren-Trinca.

Five expert reports were tendered to the court, which outlined McDonough's extensive drug use, his mental health issues, including drug induced psychosis and an attempt at self-harm with a gun which misfired or slipped.

It was reported that McDonough had a reckless disregard for others, a severe substance abuse disorder and potentially a drug induced brain injury.

At 77 his IQ is in the borderline range.

The court heard that McDonough offered to plead guilty to manslaughter on July 2, 2020, but the prosecution persisted with a murder charge into this year.

Justice Fox said the guilty plea indicated some remorse and acceptance of responsibility.

McDonough also told a doctor he had to live with what he had done, he frequently had nightmares about Ms Curren-Trinca's death and there wasn't a day he did not think about the pain he had caused.

He told two doctors he didn't know what happened. One doctor said McDonough had limited insight, but he told another he knew he had to take responsibility.

Justice Fox found that McDonough's remorse was limited and his prospects of rehabilitation "quite poor".

She said McDonough's moral culpability was high.

The justice said it was not possible to know the time between when Ms Curren-Trinca suffering her head injury, when she exhibited signs of being unwell and when the ambulance was called.

She said Ms Curren-Trinca had been lying down, McDonough's noticed her breathing was "funny" and he tried to rouse her by put her in the shower before ringing an ambulance about 17 hours after the assault started.

Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; MensLine 1300 789 978; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732.

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