Vengeful dad’s disgusting question after he tried to gas himself and his daughter (3) to death when his wife filed for divorce
Shaun Mate sentenced to 14 years in prison for attempted murder of daughter
Prosecutors said the intention was clear by buying the nitrogen gas daysLake
Mate asked the police, “So she didn’t die then?” in regaining consciousness
He is eligible for parole in July 2029
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An Adelaide father who tried to kill his young daughter ‘out of spite’ and ‘vengeance’ against his wife has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Shaun Preston Mate, 45, pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of his then three-year-old daughter days before his Supreme Court trial in June.
The father’s desire to hurt his wife became apparent when he regained consciousness after trying to gass him and his daughter and asked the police, “So she didn’t die then?”
Mate bought a pair of nitrogen gas tanks in July 2020, two days before the crime, and released the gas after an argument over dinner with his then-wife.
Shaun Preston Mate, 45, has been sentenced to 14 years behind bars for the attempted murder of his three-year-old daughter. He is eligible for parole on July 2029
Shaun Mate (pictured) pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of his then three-year-old daughter days before his Supreme Court trial in June
Police officers did not find the 45-year-old and his daughter because they were suffering from hypoxia at their home in Adelaide.
The toddler spent five days in the hospital in intensive care and it took weeks to recover from the gas attack.
The court heard in the run-up to the attempted murder, Mate’s marriage “collapsed” and he had become both verbally and physically abusive.
In a presentation to the court in June, the ABC reported prosecutors claimed the “premeditated” attack was an act of “resentment” against his now ex-wife.
Prosecutor Kos Lesses said the girl was lucky enough to survive and referred to Mate’s insensitive question about whether his daughter died.
‘That comment has relevance in refuting’ [a previous] suggestion that he could not remember the offence,” said Mr Lesses.
“This was planned, premeditated, with resentment and an element of revenge.”
Mate is rushed to hospital after gas attack
Defense attorney Marie Shaw said in June that Mate “deeply regretted” his actions and hoped that one day he could regain the trust of his daughter whom “he loved”.
Assistant Judge Geraldine Davison, who sentenced Mate on Friday, said Mate was having emotional issues and was paranoid that his wife was divorcing him, but that in no way apologizes to him for the act he committed.
“I consider this offense at the higher end of the seriousness scale,” she said, according to now to Adelaide.
“The victim was a vulnerable child, your planning indicated it was premeditated, and it was the most significant breach of trust in the parent.”
Mate was sentenced to 14 years behind bars for attempted murder.
He is eligible for parole in July 2029.