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In a somber courtroom scene yesterday, Debbie and Glenn McGuire, the grieving parents of Hannah McGuire, were visibly shaken as they listened to the sentencing of their daughter’s former boyfriend, Lachlan Young. Young was handed a 28-year prison sentence, with a minimum of 22 years and four months before eligibility for parole, for the brutal murder of Hannah, a dedicated teacher’s aide, following a prolonged period of abuse.
Today, Mrs. McGuire openly expressed her disappointment and sorrow regarding what she described as the “disproportionate sentence” handed down to her daughter’s killer.
“Hannah’s life was worth so much more than 22 years of his,” she lamented in a heartfelt statement shared with 9News.
Mrs. McGuire further conveyed her deep sense of betrayal by the justice system, which she believes failed to deliver the justice her daughter deserved.
“The outcome did not honor her,” she concluded, reflecting the family’s ongoing struggle with the verdict.
Mrs McGuire also revealed parts of her victim impact statement the court barred her from reading out during the trial, after it deemed them irrelevant to the case.
“The truth is, I have so much more I would like to say, but he does not deserve to hear it,” she wrote.
“Why would I pour my heart out in front of someone who has shown absolutely no remorse?”
Mrs McGuire accused Young of having “all the traits of a sociopath”.
”He has a distinct lack of empathy, and he enjoys exploiting others for pleasure or gain,” she wrote.
“He is calculating, impulsive and dangerous. He is a spoiled, selfish mummy’s boy, a product of poor parenting: he is pathetic.
“I hope every day for the rest of the accused’s life he experiences the most intense pain imaginable.”
After initially pleading not guilty to murder, eight days into the trial Young confessed to killing Hannah on April 5, 2024 in a home they owned together at Sebastopol, 120km northwest of Melbourne.
A court heard he strangled his ex-girlfriend, destroyed her remains and then tried to stage her death as a suicide.
He then transferred $2000 from McGuire’s bank account to her mother and $5000 to himself.
Mrs McGuire disputed there were prospects for Young’s rehabilitation.
“Are you kidding me? He will never change. It’s who he is.”
Help is available from the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.