Friday, 16 May 2008

Samurai sword attacker gets 15 years

A Brisbane man who savagely attacked his ex-girlfriend and her family with two samurai swords after she dumped him has been jailed for 15 years.

On Wednesday, 26-year-old Benjamine Albert Hester pleaded guilty to several charges including two counts of attempted murder.

In 2004, he went to the Brisbane bayside home of Jennifer McLeod in a jealous rage, armed with two sharpened samurai swords.

He tried to kill Margaret Tschirpig, the partner of Ms McLeod's stepfather, whom he blamed for their break-up.

She was hospitalised for more than 11 weeks and required 35 operations to reattach her left arm.

Ms McLeod also suffered serious injuries while her stepfather Stephen Foster was cut cross his body.

In sentencing Hester today, Supreme Court Justice George Fryberg said he believed Hester would continue to be a threat to Ms Tschirpig and Ms McLeod upon his release from jail.

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