Cameron Bardak, the man accused of trying to kill his partner with a hatchet in the parking garage of her CBD workplace in July 2020, has been sentenced to 14 years in jail.
The 32-year-old pleaded not guilty to attempted murder in the Supreme Court in Brisbane but was found guilty by jurors yesterday.
Supreme Court Justice Glenn Martin said the offender had shown no remorse for the "heinous" act.
During the trial, the jury heard Bardak had admitted to hitting Maria Buci with a hatchet twice and then choking her, but denied he intended to murder her.
In his defence, Bardak said he had only been trying to repair the relationship which had ended earlier that day.
He testified the hatchet was brought as a "coercive measure" to force the victim to speak to him, but Bardak said he never thought of using it to kill her.
The offender was also sentenced to three years' jail for the unlawful wounding of David Sturgess, the first person to intervene in the incident, to be served concurrently with the attempted murder charge.
Bardak will have to serve 80 per cent of his sentence before he's eligible for parole.
'Vicious' and 'determined'
In his sentencing remarks, Justice Martin noted it was Bardak who elected to end his relationship with Ms Buci, before sending her numerous texts while she was at work.
"They ranged from pathetic, pleading for her return, to gross, cruel and violent abuse," Justice Martin said.
Bardak then went to a local hardware store and purchased a hatchet and crowbar before heading to Ms Buci's work, telling her to meet in the car park where he was hiding.
When the victim entered the car park, Bardak demanded she get in his car, producing the hatchet from a plastic bag when she refused.
"Your intention to kill Ms Buci arose about this time when she refused to comply with your direction to get in the car," Justin Martin said.
Bardak hit Ms Buci with the blunt side of the hatchet before Mr Sturgess came to her aid, blocking Bardak's attack on her and cutting his hand in the process.
The witness succeeded in dispossessing Bardak of the hatchet, throwing it away.
When Mr Sturgess turned around, Bardak was strangling Ms Buci. At this point, several other bystanders had joined in trying to stop Bardak.
"The attack was vicious, determined and persisted even after intervention," the judge said.
"A number of people engaged in substantial efforts to rescue Ms Buci and to prevent her from suffering further harm.
"[These witnesses] are to be congratulated and thanked on behalf of the community for the selfless efforts they made in doing what they could to assist her — they exposed themselves to injury."
Victim moves overseas following attack
In a statement read to the court through tears, Ms Buci said she had been forced to move overseas with her parents, giving up her relationships and career as a lawyer, following the incident.
"I was a subject of a heinous act of violence and terror that has left a permanent stain on me emotionally, psychologically, and financially," she said.
Ms Buci said her dreams of marrying and starting a family had been crushed, as she had trouble trusting men and could not be alone in a room with a man.
She conceded it could seem "incredulous" she travelled back to Australia but deemed it necessary to give evidence in the "hope justice would prevail".
Judge Martin took into account that Bardak had made Ms Buci relive the trauma of that day by pleading not guilty.
Defence argues autism diagnosis may provide explanation
Bardak's defence barrister argued the offender should only be jailed for 11 to 12 years, pointing to his previous clean criminal record and character references.
The lawyer noted a recent diagnosis of autism, left untreated for the majority of Bardak's life, may have led to his "inexplicable behaviour".
Judge Martin accepted this and conceded it may have been why Bardak seemed to show no remorse.
