Spencer Shumski sentences to three years jail over fatal stabbing of Clint Allen

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A young man who fatally stabbed a father in a street brawl could be freed after serving three years in jail, with a judge accepting he did not intent to commit manslaughter. The victim’s devastated family say justice has not been served.

Transcript

00:00Holding on to his memory, Rebecca Allen clutches a soft toy made from her husband's old clothes.

00:09My husband's life was worth three years in the eyes of a judge.

00:13Clint and Rebecca Allen had been together for 16 years.

00:16On the night of his death, they'd been out celebrating Miss Allen's birthday

00:20and ended up at a local pub.

00:22But Clint never made it home.

00:24He was stabbed to death by a stranger after a brawl got out of hand.

00:28I'm not the same person I was two years ago. I'll never be that person again.

00:33Spencer Shumski was the man wielding the knife.

00:36Last year a jury found the aspiring musician guilty of manslaughter.

00:40Today he was sentenced to a minimum of three years in jail, with a maximum of six.

00:45With some of that time already served, he could walk free in May next year.

00:49I hope he rots in hell.

00:51A judge accepted Shumski didn't intend to kill anyone

00:55and was outnumbered and scared when he produced the knife.

00:58The court heard Mr Allen rushed at Shumski, who stabbed him twice in the chest.

01:03No good can come from carrying weapons like these, Justice Michael Croucher said.

01:08It just has to stop.

01:10At the time of the killing, Shumski was on bail for weapons offences.

01:14Today the judge said the 22-year-old was turning his life around in prison,

01:19had stopped taking drugs and had strong support from his family.

01:23But it's little comfort for Clint Allen's loved ones.

01:26He was excited to become a grandparent for this one.

01:29I can't even describe it.

01:31He was just there for everybody and now we just don't have him anymore.

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