A St Albans man has been sentenced to eleven and a half years in jail after an “extremely vicious” attack on his former partner that left her with disfiguring injuries.
Sam Portelli, 47, pleaded guilty to one count of intentionally causing serious injury and three counts of assaulting a police officer.
The Supreme Court heard that Portelli’s former partner, Christine O’Brien, 27, returned to her St Albans unit about 4.30am on November 16 last year to find Portelli inside the property in an agitated state.
An intervention order had been served on him.
Portelli said he told Ms O’Brien he would sleep with her that night and wanted to talk privately in her bedroom.
He later attacked her with a knife and a razor blade when she attempted to leave, causing multiple lacerations to her face, neck, throat and hand.
Ms O’Brien told Portelli she was pregnant in an attempt to stop the attack, but he put a pillow over her face so she couldn’t breathe, saying: “I’m sorry, I love you.”
Portelli also inflicted wounds on himself with the knife and razor blade before lying on top of Ms O’Brien so she could not leave.
Ms O’Brien eventually managed to call triple-0.
Portelli was shot in the right bicep and chest after he charged at police with a knife in each hand at the front of the property.
He then went back inside the house and would not allow paramedics to enter.
A critical response team eventually forced their way in, and Portelli and Ms O’Brien were taken by ambulance to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
A police officer involved in the incident said it changed her life forever.
The court heard Portelli said that in the 24 hours leading up to the attack he had consumed methamphetamine, cannabis, GHB and up to 14 Xanax tablets.
Justice John Dixon sentenced Portelli to a non-parole period of eight years and three months.
“Your attack upon Ms O’Brien was extremely vicious and intolerably abhorrent,” he said.
