Arabic version: تخفيض مدة سجن قاتل حديقة الحيوان الوطنية

According to ABC News, Jude Wijesinghe has received a reduced prison sentence after appealing his punishment for the 2023 murder of co-worker Tshewang Choden at Canberra’s National Zoo and Aquarium. The ACT Court of Appeal replaced his original 30-year term with a sentence of 26 years and six months.

Wijesinghe, a chef, admitted fatally stabbing Ms Choden 14 times after trapping her in a storeroom at their workplace. ACT Supreme Court Chief Justice Lucy McCallum had described the attack as premeditated “murderous violence” when she imposed the original sentence. She set a 20-year non-parole period, while finding his mental illness offered “some explanation” for the murder and reduced his moral culpability.

The appeal court reduced Wijesinghe’s non-parole period from 20 years to 18 years. He will be eligible for release in 2041 rather than 2043. The appeal was heard by Justice Darryl Rangiah, Justice Andrew Muller and Justice Jon White.

In written reasons, the judges found an error in the way the guilty-plea discount had been applied. They said the reduction had been reflected in the non-parole period but not in the head sentence, which was contrary to principle. The court also found Wijesinghe’s mental condition should not have been considered only in setting the non-parole period. However, the judges unanimously upheld the finding that his mental illness did not reduce the objective seriousness of the offence.