Broome man Conlin James Lee who killed his aunt with one punch jailed for five years in WA’s Supreme Court

A Broome father of two who killed his aunt by punching her in the head causing her to stumble backwards and hit her head on a concrete floor has been jailed for five years. Conlin James Lee, 26, had been on a two-day drinking bender after learning his girlfriend was pregnant with his second child when he took offence to something his aunt said about his mother on May 14 last year. During his sentencing hearing, WA’s Supreme Court was told Lee, who was charged under the State’s one-punch laws, had initially began drinking with his friends and was so drunk at times he was “almost catatonic”. He eventually met up with his aunt with the pair deciding to go to a bottle shop where they bought whiskey. They then travelled back to his aunt’s home to continue drinking in the carport when Lee’s aunt began talking about his mother. It was at that point, the court was told, Lee “lost it” and became aggressive, telling his aunt that she “better shut your mouth” before punching her once on the left side of the head. The force of the blow caused the 44-year-old woman, who was also intoxicated, to lose her balance and fall and her head to hit the concrete floor. After the assault, Lee fled. His grandmother, as well as other family members who were at the house, were alerted to the commotion with some saying they heard a loud thud. When they went to investigate they found the woman lying semi-conscious on the ground. Paramedics were called who then transferred her to hospital after they noticed she was bleeding from her left ear. She died later that evening. A post-mortem examination revealed she suffered a fractured skull as well as a traumatic brain injury. In sentencing Lee, Justice Bruno Fiannaca took into account his guilty plea, his genuine remorse, deprived background and his cognitive impairments. The court heard Lee had been diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and ADHD which Justice Fiannaca said was a mitigating factor. But, he said the 26-year-old, who was out on bail at the time of the assault, had a history of violent offending while he was intoxicated and while he placed some weight on his cognitive impairments, he said there was a much greater need for personal as well as general deterrence. He said Lee’s aunt was a vulnerable woman who posed no threat to her nephew and that the punch was a “cowardly act”. “You assaulted her to punish her for a perceived slight,” he added. He jailed Lee for five years, backdated his sentence to May 15 and made him eligible for parole after serving three years.