After decades of emotional abuse, and an eventual separation, Paul had sent threatening texts to Lynn in the months leading up to her death.

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“But really, I hope and pray that you are dead before we get to court because really you always have been and always will be a cheating lying slut … hope you die painfully soon,” one read.

After never coming to terms with the end of the relationship, the realisation Lynn had started a new relationship when he attended her birthday party ignited Paul’s worst fears and “bruised his ego”.

The next day, Lynn went to his house to complete some vehicle transfer paperwork around 3pm. It was December 5, 2022. The pair were heard arguing by neighbours for hours, with the shouting escalating into the evening, prompting a neighbour to call police at 8.10pm.

By 8.40pm, Lynn was declared dead by paramedics.

Paul had stood over her, grabbed her hair and shouted, ‘I told you I was going to kill you’, before stabbing Lynn multiple times in the chest.

He then sat down with two knives in his hands and attempted to self-harm before being taken into custody.

The couple’s young adult son was one of the first to arrive on the scene, after driving up the street and seeing ambulance and police vehicles outside.

The state prosecutor labelled the killing an act of possessiveness, anger, jealousy and selfishness.

Paul’s defence lawyer, Anthony Ayres acknowledged there was little in mitigation he could say of his client, but pointed out there was no knowledge of him being physically violent before the fatal attack.

There was, however, a long history of verbal abuse, which was often witnessed by the couple’s two sons as they grew up.

Ayres also said Paul had turned to drinking to deal with his rage and sense of injustice about the split.

Darley recalled how she collapsed and was unable to speak on the night she was told Lynn, her youngest sister, had been killed by Paul.

“My little sister, who was so full of life, and so beautiful in every way is no longer in this world,” she said.

“She suffered verbal abuse designed to strip her of her confidence all of her married life, but she refused to let it … she would try to keep a positive attitude and would never lose her smile.”

Darley recalled how the couple’s two sons had been left devastated by the loss of their mother.

“She was their rock, their best friend, their counsellor, their irreplaceable mum,” she said.

“Seeing them struggle to piece their lives together without her has been really hard. She would be so proud of him, every fibre of their being is from her.

“They’ve spoken about how robbed they feel that she will not be at their weddings, or for the birth of her grandchildren.”

Justice Anthony Derrick will determine Paul’s sentence on Friday.

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