At least 2yrs' jail for Valentine's killer

A real estate agent who shot his wife's lover dead on Valentine's Day last year has been sentenced to at least two years in jail..

Forty-eight-year-old Tony James Riley killed David Nichols in Gulgong, in central western New South Wales, before turning the gun on himself.

Riley was charged with murder but was convicted of manslaughter after pleading guilty to the lesser charge.

His estranged wife, Katherine Riley, told the Supreme Court she and Mr Nichols ran for their lives as her husband started firing at the house they were in on February 14 last year.

Ms Riley said she later found Mr Nichols lying in a pool of blood on the lawn with two gunshot wounds and clutching a cordless phone.

The court heard the killer was depressed at the time over the affair. The defence lawyer said Riley was so ill, he was unable to control his actions.

The court was told the 48-year-old sustained a permanent brain injury and memory loss when he later tried to kill himself.

Acting Justice Matthews today said Riley was unlikely to reoffend and had already suffered punishment.

He has been sentenced to five years in jail with a non-parole period of two years.