Sydney man convicted of killing Canadian fiancee gets 26 years, no parole for 18

SYDNEY – A Sydney man convicted of murdering his Canadian fiancee in July, 2011 has been sentenced to 26 years in prison, with no parole for 18 years.

Simon Gittany, 40, was convicted by a judge in November of killing Lisa Harnum of Ontario in a ”fit of rage” when he threw her off the 15th-floor balcony of their apartment. Court heard she was planning to leave him.

Media reported the sentence, saying the judge ruled it would be excessive to jail Gittany for life would, but that he had no prospects of rehabilitation.

There was testimony about previous violent acts committed by Gittany, which included biting off part of a policeman’s ear in 1994.

Harnum, a former ballerina, was 30 years old when she died.

After hearing the sentence, Gittany stared straight ahead and left the court without speaking. His lawyer said outside court there would be an appeal.