A Sydney man who fatally stabbed his friend after they took a cocktail of drugs in a Leura Airbnb rental has been jailed for at least seven-and-a-half years.
Henry Walcott, who was found guilty of manslaughter by a jury in February, stabbed Cameron Bradley in the chest during a struggle in November 2016.
In the NSW Supreme Court on Friday (May 17), Justice Robert Allan Hulme sentenced the 30-year-old to a maximum of 10 years in jail with a non-parole period of seven-and-a -half years, calling the killing a "grossly disproportionate and unreasonable" reaction to an unstable friend.
Justice Hulme said he was concerned by pre-sentencing reports, where Walcott said he had learnt to "forgive" the dead man.
"He sought an outright acquittal at trial," Justice Hulme said in his sentencing.
"Moreover, there is implicit attribution to Mr Bradley of wrongdoing by the offender. This arises from the offender's [pre-sentencing] statement to [forensic psychiatrist] Dr Olav Nielssen that he had brought himself to "forgive" Mr Bradley.
"He fails to fully appreciate that whatever Mr Bradley may have said, he intentionally and unnecessarily killed an unarmed man who was not being physically aggressive."
Justice Hulme said Mr Bradley's death had been swift.
"He stabbed Mr Bradley in the chest with a large knife causing a wound from ... just below the collar bone, down through the left lung and into the pericardium where it perforated the ascending aorta. Mr Bradley died quite quickly.
"The offender deliberately armed himself with a knife that he picked up from the kitchen bench, albeit only moments before using it to kill the deceased. While I must accept the offender believed it was necessary to ... defend himself, his response was grossly disproportionate and unreasonable."
Henry Walcott had pleaded not guilty - on the grounds of self-defence - to murdering 34-year-old Cameron Bradley. Defence barrister Brendan Green had told the jury there was no dispute that in the lead-up to the death both men ingested illicit drugs - and Mr Bradley subsequently died from a single stab wound inflicted by his client. But Walcott insisted he didn't intend to kill Mr Bradley, he was simply trying to subdue him during a struggle.
During the trial Walcott said Mr Bradley was using ice daily and that, although he himself had been abstaining from drugs, he decided to take some during their stay. Their drug binge included smoking ice, snorting cocaine, and taking MDMA and GHB.
The victim's eldest brother, Andrew Bradley said Mr Bradley was loved and "his life should not be devalued because he struggled with mental health and drug addiction".
Walcott's jail term was backdated to April 23 last year to account for time served. He will be eligible for parole on October 22, 2025.