Two men sentenced to life and 17 years for murder of Western Australian grandfather Raymond Smith
Paul Douglas May and James Terence Hunt were sentenced in Western Australia's Supreme Court for the December 2023 murder of 68-year-old Raymond Smith during a botched robbery. The three-man gang, including Kevin Allan Craig Potter who pleaded guilty earlier, planned to steal from Smith to fund their methamphetamine habits, but the break-in turned violent when Smith resisted. Justice Amanda Forrester described their actions as "unprovoked, gratuitous, brutal and senseless," with Hunt receiving life imprisonment (21-year minimum) and May receiving 17 years.
Two men have been sentenced for the brutal murder of Raymond Smith, a 68-year-old antiques collector from Greenbushes, Western Australia, whose body was discovered in bushland a month after he went missing in December 2023. Paul Douglas May and James Terence Hunt were found guilty by jury earlier this year, while their accomplice Kevin Allan Craig Potter pleaded guilty at the outset and was previously sentenced. The three men conspired to rob Smith of valuable items and cannabis to fund their drug habits, with Potter posing as a friendly visitor to gain entry while the others waited at the back door. When Smith defended himself with a baseball bat, Hunt disarmed him and dragged him to the bathroom where his hands were bound with cling wrap, after which May struck him repeatedly with the bat and stomped on his chest or neck with severe force. The court heard Smith was either dead or dying when the men left the house. Hunt received a life sentence with a 21-year minimum non-parole period, while May received 17 years, with the judge noting both men showed no remorse and sought only to avoid responsibility.
What different sources said
Killers of Greenbushes man show no remorse during sentencing
- Sydney Morning HeraldCenter
‘Unprovoked, gratuitous, brutal’: Two men sentenced over WA grandfather’s murder
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