Christine Barrett should have been able to trust the man she called friend.
But that man went out of his way to kill her. And then when it came time to be held to account – the judge gave him one of the weakest sentences I’ve seen in my years documenting the killing of women and children.
That man – Glen Harold Murdoch – killed Christine on November 28, 2024 in South West Rocks, NSW. She was only 70 years old. Christine was the 80th of 106 Australian women killed in 2024.
Murdoch invited Christine to dinner at his home – then he taped her mouth and hands.
He says he did this to ‘shut her up’.
As a result of his actions, Christine died from asphyxiation.
Murdoch took a photo after she died, because he wanted ‘to see if she was playing games.’
“How the fuck was I supposed to know she couldn’t breathe through her nose?,” he told police.
He also performed an exorcism on Christine to ‘get out of her in Jesus’ name’.
At first he did not call 000 because he knew ‘nothing could be done’ and he wanted to wait to speak to his lawyer when the office opened.
Instead of moving ahead with the murder charge, the NSW prosecutor reduced it to manslaughter.
As a result, Murdoch was sentenced to six years in jail with parole after serving just 3.5 years.
The judge said the sentence was adequate as Murdoch did not plan to kill Christine and he was too old to spend to much time in jail.
Australia’s criminal system is centred on the perpetrator, not the victim.
As a result, sentencing outcomes like Murdoch’s are the norm.
When the courts fail to punish offenders for femicide they send a message to other violent men that killing women is okay. It shows the value our courts place on women. And that value is worth far less than the offender’s feelings and needs.
I’ve been campaigning for a Femicide Royal Commission. Please consider signing and passing the petition to those in your circle. Every signature brings us closer to change.
