A man who collected takeaway pizza after viciously bashing his partner to death could be released from prison in less than nine years.
Robert Rickerby, 30, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Jessica Geddes in Melbourne’s south-east.
The 27-year-old was left to die in the bedroom of their Endeavour Hills property on 6 November 2020 after sustaining extensive blunt force injuries to her head and chest.
After the bashing, Rickerby went to collect two pizzas and ate several pieces before calling his parents, the court had heard. They encouraged him to call an ambulance, which he did 30 minutes later.
When paramedics arrived, they confirmed Geddes was dead.
The supreme court justice James Elliott on Friday sentenced Rickerby to 15 years and six months in jail for the vicious killing of an extremely vulnerable person.
“You have brutally taken the life of someone who trusted you,” Elliott told Rickerby.
The 30-year-old could be eligible for parole after 11 years in prison, having already spent two years and two months behind bars.
It took detectives 18 months to charge Rickerby over Geddes’ death, the court was told.
He was extradited from Queensland on one count of murder in April 2022 but contested the charge, instead offering to plead guilty to manslaughter in May 2024.
The prosecution accepted the offer, with Rickerby formally pleading guilty on Monday.
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Police could not say exactly when Geddes was killed, although it was sometime between 2.40pm and 5.55pm on 6 November.
A forensic examiner found that Geddes would have been dead for at least 30 minutes by the time paramedics assessed her at 6.48pm.
She died of complications from fractures and other injuries caused by Rickerby punching, kicking or hitting her.
Geddes had been subjected to years of physical and verbal abuse from Rickerby before her death, the court heard.