A son watched as his father was covered in petrol and burned alive by a neighbour after an argument over trees.
Joshua Bainbridge had been chopping down trees alongside his father Colin at a property in Wheatsheaf, 100km northwest of Melbourne, when he heard shouting on March 14, 2023.
Responding to the yelling, he raced over to his 66-year-old father Colin and saw neighbour Stuart Lee, 65, dousing him with petrol before setting him on fire.
Mr Bainbridge told Victorian Supreme Court: ‘Seeing my father ignite and scream as he was burned alive is a memory that will never leave my mind.’
The court heard Colin Bainbridge had been clearing trees in a friend’s garden, when without provocation, Lee shouted at him to ‘f**k off’.
When Mr Bainbridge responded with the same phrase, Lee quickly phoned the police, however all five of his calls to the station at nearby Daylesford were not answered.
On the final call, Lee was diverted to Bacchus Marsh Police who instructed him to phone triple zero if he needed immediate help.
The 65-year-old told the police officer he would murder his neighbours if they did not arrive, Nine.com.au reported.
Joshua Bainbridge watched his father, Colin, be covered in petrol and burned alive by Stuart Lee after a row over trees (stock image)
Lee proceeded to head into his shed where he decanted petrol from a jerry can into a bucket, before retrieving a lighter from the property.
Following this, he went into his garden where he climbed over a fence and covered Mr Bainbridge in petrol and then set him alight.
Mr Bainbridge’s son, Joshua, raced over in an attempt to help his father and called an ambulance for assistance.
Lee had also contacted emergency services, claiming he had poured petrol over his neighbour in a bid to defend himself.
Mr Bainbridge was transported to The Alfred hospital in Melbourne via an aircraft, suffering burns to 81 per cent of his body. He died later that evening.
Lee has since pleaded guilty to the murder of 66-year-old Colin Bainbridge.
The court heard how his son, Joshua, continues to re-live the horrific ordeal in his mind and said: ‘I feel like I’m balancing on a knife edge.
Lee has since pleaded guilty to the 66-year-old’s murder (stock image)
‘He was robbed of the last years of his life for nothing,” he added: ‘The world is a worse place without him in it.’
Lee has a personality disorder with traits of paranoia as well as being suspicious of other people, according to a psychiatrist.
‘He has no real sense of guilt because he feels he was justified to do what he had to do,’ the psychiatrist said.
At the time of the murder, Lee was not psychotic, nor did he meet the diagnosis of psychopathy, the psychiatrist said.
The 65-year-old’s lawyer, Julia Munster, said the incident would require a significant amount of time behind bars for Lee.
Justice Andrew Tinney will hear further sentencing submissions on Thursday, but has already indicated he is considering handing Lee a life sentence.
