Toby Awatere joked with police before admitting strangling partner to death

  • 30/06/2017

An Australian court has released chilling video footage of a former Upper Hutt man's confession of strangling his partner to death. 

Toby Awatere, 37, was jailed yesterday for 20 years for the murder of his partner, 27-year-old Jackline Ohide. 

Awatere can be seen on video joking with police in the minutes after his arrest. He made light hearted comments about cutting his hair saying, "Started a new job in Melbourne so they weren't too happy having them [his dreadlocks] so long, so had to cut them off."  

He later goes on to admit that, "She came out of the toilet, I was walking down the hallway and that's when I took her down the back room and choked her." 

He blames her for his crime, saying that "I did say I love her, always have and always will, and that she's the one who made me do this." 

Toby Awatere
Toby Awatere. Photo credit: Supplied

The couple had a heated row at their Adelaide home, and Awatere had accused her of cheating. After strangling her to death, Awatere then placed her in the passenger seat of a car with their two sleeping children in the back. The children woke up to find their mother's body in the car. Awatere kissed them all and left. 

The court heard yesterday that Awatere was suffering from depression and sleep deprivation. Justice David Lovell said Awatere had deliberately and intentionally strangled Ms Ohide, however he was "undoubtedly" in a poor state of mental health. 

While this did not excuse his crime, Justice Lovell argued, when combined with Awatere's previous good character and prospects for rehabilitation the sentence of 20 years was warranted. Awatere also has a non parole period of 20 years. 

The victim's mother, Christine Achola, yesterday said the sentence was "not enough" and "will never bring my daughter back". However Ms Ohide's sister, Sunday Ohide, said the family was happy with the sentencing and hoped to move on. 

"With domestic violence," she also said, "how do we change what happens when we don't see anything and nothing happens before that?"

If you wish to talk to someone about mental illness or domestic violence, you can call Lifeline on 0800 543 354, the Depression Helpline on 0800 111 757 or the National Telehealth Service on 1737.

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