Handyman jailed for hammer killing

By court reporter Jamelle Wells

Updated Thu Nov 4, 2010 8:17pm AEDT

A Sydney handyman has been jailed for up to 24 years for bashing a dissatisfied client to death with a hammer.

A Supreme Court jury found 48-year-old Jian Dong guilty of murdering Ming Hai Jiang whose body was found in the bathtub at his house at North Ryde in January 2009.

The bathtub was filled with blood and water.

The offender went to trial after his offer to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter was rejected.

In sentencing him to 24 years jail with a non-parole period of 17 years, Justice Derrick Price said Dong hit the homeowner on the head nine times with a hammer.

He said the men had argued about the quality of the offender's home renovations and the homeowner had refused to pay an outstanding amount of $1,500.

During his trial Dong had argued that he acted in self defence but the judge found the attack on the 27-year-old victim was "ferocious" and in response to "limited provocation".

He said afterwards Dong threw the hammer over the Gladesville Bridge and left Sydney.

But Justice Price also said that Dong has shown remorse and is unlikely to reoffend.

He noted that the offender left school at 16, was bullied and a loner.

Dong sat quietly in the dock as his sentence was conveyed to him through an interpreter.

The victim's widow cried in the public gallery. Outside court she said justice had been done.

"Jian Dong is not very honest... no one believes him," she said.

"I am happy with all the works done by the Crown, the jury, court officials and police officers and other people who contributed to this case."

From: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/11/04/3057009.htm