THE mother of a "gentle giant" killed by a violent criminal who had recently been released on parole has described her son's killer as a "gutless bastard".
THE mother of a "gentle giant" killed by a violent criminal who had recently been released on parole has described her son's killer as a "gutless bastard".
In emotional scenes in the Supreme Court this morning, the family of murder victim Shane Curphey sobbed and hurled abuse at the man's killer as he was sentenced for the shocking crime.
Kelvin Willmott, 37, killed the 35-year-old in a stabbing frenzy at a caravan park in Canton Beach, on the state's Central Coast, in October 2010.
He showed no emotion when he stood and faced the judge as he was sentenced to at least 21 years - and maximum 28 years - in prison for the vicious attack.
"You've got to be joking," Mr Curphey's family yelled from the public gallery as the sentence was handed down.
Corrective Services officers were forced to restrain the victim's father Don as he tried to fight his way across the courtroom to get to his son's attacker.
The court heard Willmott stabbed Mr Curphey repeatedly in the neck and upper body, jumping above the large man to get at his head as the victim turned away.
The pair had earlier been drinking together with friends at the caravan park, but began arguing after the killer said he put drugs in another man's pre-mixed vodka.
Witnesses reported Mr Curphey made no attempt to defend himself during the "frenzied attack".
After the victim fell to the ground, Willmott started "slashing the knife across (Mr Curphey's) throat" as if trying to cut the stricken man's head off, the court was told.
Justice Derek Price said the attack was "extraordinarily savage", with the knife wounds cutting all the way to the victim's spine.
"The attack upon (Mr Curphey) was extremely violent and hideous wounds were inflicted," he said.
The coroner found 105 stab wounds on the victim?s body and two, deep lacerations in his neck.
The court heard Willmott had only been on parole for about four months after serving several years in a Queensland prison for a serious, violent crime when he killed Mr Curphey
Outside the court, the victim's mother Jenni spoke with tears streaming down her face as she described her family's disgust at the sentence.
"28 years, my brother has a life sentence, I have a life sentence, my family have a life sentence - that is absolutely ridiculous," she said.
"You heard the evidence, you heard what he did to my boy. (Willmott's) a gutless bastard - he never looks at us. The last time he said 'sorry for your loss', (but) he murdered my son in cold blood."
Mrs Cophey described her son as gentle, helpful and caring almost to a fault.
"I'm biased, he's my son, but I can tell you know if you asked him for $5 and that's all he had, you'd get it," she said.
"That's the problem, he was too kind. He was a peacemaker."
Willmott will be eligible for release in 2031.
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