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Perth Man Jailed for Life for Murder of Erica Hay, With 24-Year Non-Parole Period

The judge said the murder, coupled with the cover-up by fire, ranked at the very highest end of domestic violence offending.

Overview

  • Luke Hanif Sekkouah, 37, was sentenced in the Supreme Court of Western Australia to life imprisonment with a 24-year minimum term, backdated to April 2024.
  • Justice Natalie Whitby also imposed a concurrent seven-year sentence for criminal damage by fire after he set Hay’s body and home alight.
  • The court heard the April 2024 attack in Hay’s Warnbro home was sustained and brutal, causing 23 stab injuries to her head, neck, heart and other organs.
  • After the stabbing, Sekkouah left to buy beer, stole turpentine, returned to start a fire, removed Hay’s three-year-old daughter, and then lied to neighbours and responders.
  • Whitby described the burning of the body as a vile and degrading act, found Sekkouah showed little remorse, and noted Hay’s four daughters now face life without their mother.