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Life Sentence Sought for Roland Griffiths Over Wife’s Murder in Albanvale, Sentencing Deferred

Prosecutors argue the crime’s brutality before the children warrants the maximum penalty.

Overview

  • Roland Griffiths, 41, pleaded guilty in February to murdering Kylie Sheahan after dousing her with petrol and setting her alight at their Albanvale home in March 2022.
  • Ms Sheahan suffered burns to 91% of her body and died four days later, and a 16-year-old daughter was severely burned, spending months in a coma with ongoing skin grafts.
  • Seven children were inside the home during the attack, with older siblings rescuing younger ones, including a baby, and the children have since been separated.
  • The Crown urged life imprisonment, citing Griffiths’s long violent record, lies to police after the fire and an in‑prison assault, while the defence pointed to addiction, disadvantage and claimed remorse.
  • Justice John Champion heard emotional victim impact statements at a pre‑sentence hearing and will set the sentence at a later date.