Sydney husband who stabbed wife to death in jealous rage example of ‘prevalent violence against women’: Court

A Sydney man jailed for a maximum of 30 years for stabbing his estranged wife to death with fishing knives is “another example of the extremely prevalent violence perpetuated by men” against women, a judge has told a court.

Christopher Cullen, 51, was found guilty last month of murdering Victoria Comrie Cullen, after a jury rejected his claim he acted in self-defence.

Today he was sentenced to serve a maximum sentence of 30 years behind bars with a minimum sentence of 22 years.

Justice Ian Harrison said Cullen decided to kill Mrs Cullen for “his own selfish and personal reasons”, and told the court her death was “unnecessary, unwarranted, unfair and inexcusable".

Mrs Cullen was found dead in January 2014 at the Taren Point fishing club in south Sydney.

She had been stabbed 18 times with fishing knives, including two cuts that sliced into the bones of her neck.

The 39-year-old also suffered a broken nose and bruised eyes.

Cullen's trial heard the pair had split months earlier and that the former carpenter believed his wife was having an affair, with Cullen telling a police officer she had “taunted him with her sex life”.

But today Justice Harrison dismissed Cullen’s claims, saying Mrs Cullen's death "is another example of the extremely prevalent violence perpetuated by men in our society against women to whom they are married" or in a domestic relationship with.

He also told the court that anger and frustration were common during a relationship breakdown but said an ordinary person “would not have reacted in such a violent and unacceptable way”.

The prosecution had earlier called for Cullen to be sentenced to life in prison.