A Melbourne man, Roland Griffiths, is facing the possibility of life imprisonment after admitting to setting his wife, Kylie Louise Sheahan, on fire during a violent domestic incident witnessed by their children.
The horrific attack took place on March 14, 2022, inside the family’s home in Albanvale, northwest Melbourne. Ms Sheahan, 36, suffered burns to 91 per cent of her body and died the following day in hospital.
According to evidence presented before the Supreme Court of Victoria, Griffiths, 41, had been drinking heavily and became enraged over a minor family dispute involving an iPad the previous day. Prosecutors said he had a long history of violence and alcohol abuse, and that his anger toward his family had escalated in the hours before the killing.
Witnesses said Griffiths poured petrol over Ms Sheahan and ignited it in front of their children, aged between 10 months and 17 years. Several of the children were also injured as they tried to intervene and escape the burning home.
A 16-year-old daughter sustained burns to 53 per cent of her body. Despite her injuries, she managed to rescue her baby brother and flee the house. Neighbours later found Ms Sheahan lying on the front lawn, pleading for her children’s safety.
“Help my kids,” she reportedly said, moments before losing consciousness.
Prosecutor Erin Ramsay described the killing as a “heinous act of family violence” that was aggravated by Griffiths’ breach of an intervention order and the use of fire as a weapon.
“Mr Griffiths set fire to his wife the person he was supposed to love. Not only was the offending witnessed by the children, they were actively trying to stop him,” Ramsay told the court.
Griffiths initially pleaded not guilty to murder, leading to a hung jury. However, on the day a retrial was set to begin in February this year, he changed his plea to guilty. He also admitted to recklessly causing injury to his daughter and assaulting a prison guard while in custody.
During the pre-sentence hearing, Ms Sheahan’s daughters delivered emotional victim impact statements.
“When I woke up from my coma, I knew before anyone told me that my mum had died,” one daughter said.
Another told Griffiths directly: “You killed Kylie Louise Sheahan, but don’t call yourself a dad or father. That’s not what parents do. I hope you never get out of jail because we’re doing better without you.”
Ms Sheahan’s father, Tony Sheahan, remembered his daughter as strong-willed and resilient but said that trait may have contributed to the tragedy.
“Kylie was tough. I taught my kids to stand up for themselves. Unfortunately, that was Kylie's undoing,” he said. “No one has the right to take anyone’s life. What gave him the right to put her in danger?”
Griffiths’ lawyer, Jacob Kantor, urged the court to impose a fixed prison term rather than life imprisonment, citing his client’s guilty plea and ongoing health issues.
Justice John Champion is expected to deliver the sentence at a later date.
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