Fingal man Peter Gary Farrow, 29, who harboured a murder suspect avoids jail

Peter Gary Farrow, 29, harboured Shannon Duffy and his female partner for three days after the murder in April 2019.

Duffy was sentenced last month to life imprisonment after pleading guilty to the murder of Jarrod Turner at Richmond on April 14, 2019.

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Justice Michael Brett sentenced Farrow to a nine-month jail term for perverting justice but suspended it for twelve months on the condition that he commit not an imprisonable offence for 12 months.

Farrow was contacted soon after the murder and asked to go to Hobart to collect Duffy and his female partner so that they could stay in his one-bedroom unit.

He was not told anything about the murder or why he was being asked to provide accommodation.

"They stayed with you until their arrest on April 19 providing them with food and drink, the use of your vehicle and mobile telephone," Justice Brett said.

"On one occasion you drove the female into Launceston where she carried out a few tasks including purchasing purple hair dye from Kmart which she then used to disguise her appearance."

Farrow was not charged with being an accessory after the fact despite learning of the murder before Duffy's arrest on April 19.

"You had learned about his commission of the murder both from inferences you drew from media reporting of that event and also because on the previous day Duffy had admitted to you that he had committed the murder," he said.

Farrow made a statutory declaration to police on the day of Duffy's arrest which contained a number of false statements and underplayed his involvement.

"However, you did make a number of statements which I consider to be incriminating of Duffy," he said.

"In particular there is reference to you overhearing a conversation between Duffy and the female in which he admitted the murder."

Farrow had innocently become involved in a state of affairs of great seriousness and was scared of the ramifications for himself.

He said the false statutory declaration adversely affected the investigation by inhibiting police attempts to follow relevant leads.

Perverting justice was a serious crime because it had a tendency to undermine the administration of justice.

Farrow was not obliged to talk to police but had implied that there was less involvement than there actually was.

"Any actual effect was an unintended consequence of you attempting to protect yourself," he said.