A Melbourne father who murdered his daughter by throwing her off the West Gate Bridge had to be forcibly removed from the dock following a bizarre courtroom outburst just moments after being handed a life sentence.
Arthur Phillip Freeman, who tossed four-year-old Darcey Freeman 58 metres to her death two years ago, will not be eligible for release until January 29, 2041 after Victorian Supreme Court Justice Paul Coghlan set a non-parole period of 32 years.
Freeman was last month found guilty by a jury.
Darcey Freeman. Photo: Supplied
He had stood motionless as he was being sentenced while his former wife Peta Barnes also showed no emotion.
Later, Freeman, 37, began ranting about a Barnes family member’s involvement in the Argyle diamond mine in Western Australia and had to be pulled from the dock by three security staff.
In handing down his sentence, Justice Coghlan said he had no doubt Freeman's behaviour at a family court hearing - when he broke down and sobbed - "was a result of your realising the enormity and awfulness of what you have done".
Arthur Freeman arrives at the Supreme Court during the trial. Photo: Jason South
"[Darcey's] last thoughts bear not thinking about. Her death must have been painful," he said.
"[The] killing [was done] in the presence of your sons Ben, who was six, and son Jack, who was two at the time. The community hopes he will be too young to remember.
"You used your daughter to hurt your former wife as profoundly as possible. You chose a place remarkably public and would have the most dramatic impact."
Justice Coghlan said he was not satisfied Freeman's behaviour showed remorse, that he was self-centred and was "yet to say sorry for what you had done".
He said he was satisfied Freeman continued to lack insight into what he had done and described his prospects for rehabilitation as "bleak".
"I understand that many will say that your crime is so serious in so many respects that I should not impose a non-parole period. That is, you deserve to be locked away for ever. I see the attractiveness of that argument, but the sentencing process is not as simple as that."
Justice Coghlan said he took into account Freeman's age.
"Whatever happens, you will spend what will be regarded by many as the best years of your life in prison. I have come to the conclusion it is appropriate to fix a non-parole period.
"I do not regard you a being beyond redemption. You are only 37 years of age. I've had regard to your mental illness and ... I have taken it into account in deciding both whether I should fix a non-parole period and deciding what that non-parole period should be."
He said Freeman's previous good behaviour, his character references and the support he had from his family were taken into account.
But he said one of the very unfortunate features of the case was that others seemed to "blame themselves for what you have done".
"They should not. You did what you did. You are responsible for it, and nobody else is."
Minutes before the murder, Freeman phoned Ms Barnes and told her to "Say goodbye to your children".
He parked his four-wheel-drive in the left-hand emergency lane of the bridge, coaxed Darcey out of the car and picked her up.
Freeman then carried the child in his arms to the edge of the bridge and threw her over the edge.
During his three-week trial Freeman did not deny killing Darcey, but his barrister argued Freeman was "mad not bad" when he threw her from the bridge.
He pleaded not guilty on the grounds of mental impairment but a jury last month found him guilty of murder.
Neither Freeman’s parents, nor the Barnes family, commented as they left the court.
