A Canberra man who injected his partner with heroin, to celebrate their anniversary, has been sentenced to four-years imprisonment by the ACT Supreme Court. Christopher Weaver pleaded guilty to two charges including manslaughter and administering a prohibited drug.
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00:00 An anniversary celebration that went very wrong. It took two years for police to arrest
00:07 Christopher Weaver after a long investigation. His partner, Laura Sernchewick, collapsed
00:15 soon after he administered a fatal dose of heroin. When the ambulance arrived, Weaver
00:21 was distraught, saying to Ms Sernchewick, "Come back to me, come back to me, don't
00:26 die." Ms Sernchewick was rushed to hospital, but did not survive. The court heard she was
00:33 already in poor health, suffering from diabetes and managing a kidney and pancreas transplant.
00:40 Justice Belinda Baker said Weaver's plea indicated, "The offender accepts his actions
00:47 caused her death." But the judge also noted he showed little insight into the crime. "He
00:54 has not expressed any remorse to the victim's family." After the death in August 2021, the
01:01 police investigation was hampered by COVID restrictions, with officers unable to enter
01:07 the hospital. It was Coroner Ken Archer who kicked off the investigation, telling police
01:13 he thought there'd been an "indictable offence". Weaver has been sentenced to four years jail,
01:19 but will be eligible for parole next year.
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