A German national who pressed on a sex worker's throat in a bid to heighten sexual stimulation was sentenced to five years' jail when he appeared in the Supreme Court in Launceston.
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Tobias Pick, now 29, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, admitting to strangling 49-year-old Jingai Zhang in Wellington St on Boxing Day, 2020.
He was originally charged with murder but had pleaded not guilty. He also pleaded guilty to stealing $2400 and Ms Zhang's mobile phone.
It is likely Pick will be deported when he completes his two-and-a-half-year non-parole period. The sentence was backdated to December 27, 2020.
Pick was in Australia on a working holiday and had engaged Ms Zhang in the fortnight before the fatal incident.
Justice Pearce said that the Crown accepted that Ms Zhang asked Pick to apply pressure to asphyxiate.
Ms Zhang was a married woman who had a sex work business in Wellington St and who also had a boyfriend.
He said that on Boxing Day 2020 Pick argued with his girlfriend and told her he was leaving but remained in Launceston.
He engaged Ms Zhang again and arrived at 7pm. He said that before sexual contact Pick noticed where Ms Zhang put cash and he stole $2400.
This time he agreed to her request to apply pressure to her neck and pulled tight on her dress which acted as a ligature.
"The pressure applied was so significant and for so long that it caused death through strangulation," Justice Pearce said.
He said that the prosecution had agreed that she consented to some pressure but it could not justify depriving her of oxygen enough to cause her death.
Pick saw that she was unconscious and fled the scene taking her mobile phone and cash.
He said the theft of money displayed a high level of moral culpability.
Justice Pearce said that the state did not dispute that Ms Zhang was facing away from Pick at the time of death and that he did not notice her stop breathing.
State forensic pathologist Donald Ritchey determined that she had died of strangulation and had multiple bruises around her neck and face. He said she would have been struggling and in pain.
"Dr Ritchey was unable to say exactly how long it would have taken but at least 60 seconds," He said.
The court heard that he ran away because he was scared and panicked and did not try to provide first aid.
Justice Pearce said that Pick would not be sentenced on the basis that he intended to kill Ms Zhang or that he ought to have known such action would cause death.
He said that her death had a profound impact on her family in Tasmania and in China.
Her body was discovered by an acquaintance.
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"No sentence can make up for the loss of life," he said.
Justice Pearce said there was no reason to believe that Pick would reoffend saying it was an unintended death without malicious intent.
He said the plea of guilty was indicative of some remorse although the acts following her death were to be deplored.
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