CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses domestic violence.
An alcoholic who locked a woman on a high-rise balcony before she fell to her death has been warned off the drink for life after being spared jail for his actions.
Scott Andrew Minigle remained tight-lipped as he left court on Thursday after being sentenced for a domestic violence offence before his partner’s May 2020 death.
Mother-of-two Jodie Lovell died after falling from a 10th-floor balcony at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Sydney’s city centre.
She had been trapped on the balcony for 20 minutes while Minigle looked through her phone, searching for flirtatious messages between her and a former partner.
But Minigle could not have predicted that his partner would then fall to her death, Justice Sarah Huggett said on Thursday.
“It is for this reason that the offence falls at the lower end of objective seriousness,” she said while sentencing him to a good behaviour bond. “But not at the very bottom.”
Minigle was charged more than three years after the incident with one count of domestic violence-related taking or detaining a person with intent to obtain advantage.
But the door-locking charge may never have been laid if not for Minigle telling police about it.
There were no reports of neighbours hearing Lovell call out from the balcony and the door to the terrace was already unlocked once police arrived.
“The offence was spontaneous and unplanned,” Justice Huggett said.
“This was not a case where the deceased was attempting to escape violence.”
Minigle has struggled with alcoholism for most of his adult life but has taken significant steps towards rehabilitation, the NSW District Court was told.
During delays between court proceedings, Minigle has attended alcoholic support services regularly and joined a full-time program.
Justice Huggett ordered he abstain from alcohol for the next year – but suggested that become a self-imposed lifetime ban.
“While his progress is promising, there is clearly a lot more work to be done before he is considered recovered,” Justice Huggett said.
“The offender must understand he can never drink again.”
Minigle will be required to submit regular blood and urine tests as part of his one-year community corrections order, and continue to engage regularly with alcoholic support services.
The sentence included a 20 per cent sentence discount acknowledging Minigle’s co-operation with police.
Lead image: AAP
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