Man who bashed girlfriend and left her to die gets 29 years' jail
A man who bashed his girlfriend and left her to die will spend at least 20 years behind bars.
Alexander Dow Freeburn 29, was sentenced in the Victorian Supreme Court on Friday after being found guilty of murdering Elizabeth Wilms, who was found at a Kew property.
The 29-year-old died in late June or early July 2016 and was found with 43 separate injuries, including a broken nose and finger and extensive bruising.
"You left Elizabeth, dying and alone, on the floor of your room. Thereafter you made only half-hearted and totally ineffectual efforts to obtain assistance for her," Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth said.
Freeburn fled the Kew flat after the assault and travelled to another woman's house and began a sexual relationship with her, before police caught him in the Warrnambool area.
Ms Wilms had a mild intellectual disability which made her particularly vulnerable to exploitation, Justice Hollingworth said.
"It is clear that Elizabeth was a loving and much-loved member of her family and her death has affected them greatly in many different ways," the judge said.
Several of Ms Wilms' family members wept during the sentencing.
Freeburn was jailed for 25 years, with a non-parole period of 20 years.
Sporting a black-eye, Freeburn wrote in a notepad in court and was expressionless when jailed.
AAP