The killer of Melbourne comedian Eurydice Dixon has lost his appeal to reduce his time in prison after Victoria’s Court of Appeal chose to uphold his life sentence.
Eurydice Dixon’s killer, 20, was convicted last year for the rape and murder of the comedian, who was 22 and walking home having performed at a comedy gig in Melbourne. He was given a non-parole period of 35 years.
Chief Justice Anne Ferguson said the crime was “unspeakably loathsome and cruel” in reading a brief summary of the ruling by the three judges of the Court of Appeal.
The Court of Appeal judges rejected claims by the convicted killer’s lawyers that the sentence was disproportionate, considering the convict’s age, Asperger’s syndrome, early guilty plea and the fact that he has to be kept in protective custody. However, Justice Ferguson stated: “A woman should be able to walk home after a night out without any fear of being harmed,”
“Her heart should not have to skip a beat when she hears approaching steps from behind.”
Victoria’s chief crown prosecutor, Brendan Kissane QC, had countered that Todd’s sentence was adequate: “The gravity of the offending cannot be understated”.
