NSW: Triple murderer escapes life because he was deprived

AAP General News (Australia)
04-07-2000
NSW: Triple murderer escapes life because he was deprived

By Gavin Lower

SYDNEY, April 7 AAP - A triple murderer who strangled three people escaped a life sentence
today because he had been rejected and emotionally deprived while growing up.

In jailing Matthew James Harris for a minimum 25 years, Justice Virginia Bell said
Harris experienced a "significant level" of emotional deprivation and rejection.

She told the New South Wales Supreme Court his "unfortunate background was causative
in the commission of these offences".

Harris, 31, had pleaded guilty to murdering Peter Wennerbom, 62, Yvonne Ford, 33, and
Ron Galvin, 53, in the NSW Riverina city of Wagga Wagga in October and November 1998.

Justice Bell said Harris told police he was angry with the world and strangling people
was his revenge on society.

"(Harris) was angry and found killing to be an outlet for that anger," she said.

Ms Ford's brother, Charles Ford, said outside court he thought Harris should have been
jailed for three life terms.

He said he did not think the sentence placed much value on life when "he's taken three
and he could be out in 23".

"I think he should have got three times life, one for each murder," Mr Ford.

Justice Bell said Harris believed his adoptive parents treated him differently to their
natural children and left home at 14 to live on the streets, prostituted himself and became
a heroin user.

She said that lifestyle led to feelings of debasement and worthlessness.

When he was later reunited with his natural mother the meeting lasted less than four
minutes with her saying she had given him up at birth and wanted nothing to do with him.

Around the time of his 30th birthday Harris became overwhelmed by feelings of depression
because he had achieved nothing with his life.

Justice Bell said that after Harris participated in an armed robbery with another man,
forcing their way into a woman's unit and holding a knife to her throat as her children
looked on.

"This ugly crime appeared to mark (Harris') degeneration ... in six weeks he strangled
three people in separate incidents," she said.

Emboldened by the armed robbery Harris went to the unit of Mr Wennerbom, whom he knew
was ill and affected by a stroke, with the intention of robbing him but then strangled
him to avoid being identified.

After getting away with Mr Wennerbom's murder Harris continued carrying out "opportunistic
killings", Justice Bell said.

He strangled Ms Ford, who had a mild intellectual disability, after convincing her
to get into her bath and got in with her saying he would rub her back.

Harris told police he strangled Ms Ford because he believed she would be easy to kill.

"I just thought she would be easy to target," he said.

Harris then strangled his immediate neighbour in the unit block he lived in, Ron Galvin,
who was physically disabled.

Justice Bell said that after Mr Galvin's "senseless killing" Harris attempted to kill
himself twice with heroin overdoses.

He admitted to police murdering the three after confessing to a friend, Mr Wennerbom's
sister, that he had strangled Mr Galvin.

Justice Bell said Harris' admissions were significant and that he was not entirely
without hope of rehabilitation.

Harris was jailed for a minimum 25 years backdated to when he was taken into custody
on December 1, 1998, with an additional 15 years.

He will be eligible for parole on November 30, 2023.

AAP gl/sb/it/bwl

KEYWORD: HARRIS NIGHTLEAD

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