Family of woman murdered in front of her children labels domestic violence a 'national disgrace'

Tara Costigan was killed with an axe in front of her children.

Marcus Rappel murdered the mother of his one-week old daughter as she held the baby in her arms. And today, he leaned back in his chair as a judge recounted the harrowing details of his crime, shaking his head and murmuring "rubbish" when he disagreed with the account.
Rappel was motivated to kill by anger. Anger that his former partner had taken out a Domestic Violence Order against him.
Hours after learning of the order he went to Bunnings and bought an axe. Then he drove to Tara Costigan's home.
He drove past the house multiple times before pulling up outside. With his engine still running, he beat down her door, then - in front of her two young sons - he hit Tara in the neck with the axe.
Still holding her baby, she fell forward. The axe had severed her spinal cord and an artery. Tara died within minutes of being struck.
It was a murder Justice Burns of the ACT Supreme Court today said was in the worst category.
He called it "shameful and cowardly barbarism", and said were it not for Rappel pleading guilty and saving Tara's family the trauma of a trial, he would have sentenced him to life in jail.
In the end, Rappel got 32 years and six months for the crimes committed that day, with a non parole period of 26 years. The earliest he can be released is 2041.
Rappel wasn't in the courtroom to hear his fate. An hour earlier he'd been escorted from the building after an outburst. He yelled and swore at Justice Burns, disagreeing with his findings, shouting "it was about my daughter ... he called me a f***ing liar .. Rights for fathers!"
Outside court, there was no closure for Tara Costigan's family.
"Today does not bring me peace. Tara is still dead," her uncle Michael Costigan said.
Another uncle, Christopher Costigan, echoed the family's pain: "we received a life sentence. No parole. No get out of jail card. He deserves the same. I want him to never walk the streets again and until that happens, I won't be happy."
Tara Costigan is just one of hundreds of Australian women who have died at the hand of a partner or former partner.
In sentencing Rappel, Justice Burns said we need to take domestic violence seriously, and it's incumbent on courts to recognise the heinousness of the crime.
Michael Costigan called it a national disgrace.
"Family and domestic violence has killed more than a thousand Australians since we entered this new century," he said outside court.
"If those victims occurred as a result of terrorism, how much money would be thrown at this problem?"

by Jayne Azzopardi for 9News.com.au

from https://goo.gl/5GuRVf