Husband claims self defence after slashing wife’s throat

The scene at the quiet fishing club at Taren Point, Sydney, looked like something straight out of a horror film.

It was a regular afternoon in the Australian sunshine when a local man stumbled across a brutal murder. Irish-born Victoria Comrie Cullen was face down on the grass, with her throat savagely cut to the bone.

Just metres away, her estranged husband Christopher crawled out of the nearby water and slumped to the ground with stab wounds. With his lungs punctured, air was pushing up behind his face, leaving his eyes grotesquely bloated.

A toxic relationship

When police reached the scene, they asked Christopher what had happened. "She stabbed me, and I stabbed her," he said. He was quick to blame Victoria, but once officers looked into the history of the couple, it was clear she was the victim.

Christopher CullenAfter killing Victoria, Christopher stabbed himself in the lungs, causing his face to swell

Victoria, 39, was originally from Bangor, County Down, and was married to Liverpool-born Christopher. She worked at a local beauty salon and he was a carpenter and keen fisherman.

The couple had been married for almost 12 years and had three children, but it was a toxic relationship. Victoria regularly admitted to colleagues that her marriage was ‘loveless’ and she was frightened of Christopher. She even showed them bruises where he had hurt her before.

When she phoned her family back in Northern Ireland, Victoria would talk about how desperate she was to leave him, but it wasn’t straightforward because her husband controlled their money and her family were on the other side of the world. Victoria would often hide in a cupboard or down in the basement when she talked to them, so Christopher couldn’t hear her.

Finally, in October 2013, their marriage broke down. Christopher accused Victoria of having an affair and said he’d kill her if she didn’t leave. Tensions between them reached an all-time high when he threatened to slit her throat.

Victoria moved out of the marital home and into a flat, but Christopher couldn’t let go. He’d turn up to the salon with signs he’d made accusing her of sleeping with clients. Victoria took out an Apprehended Violence Order (similar to a restraining order) and began to have counselling.

Christopher Cullen is on trial for murdering his wife Victoria Comrie Cullen who was found dead near the mangroves at the St George and Sutherland Shire Anglers Club in Taren Point, outside Sydney, AustraliaVictoria had told her friends her marriage was 'loveless'

On the morning of January 22, 2014, the estranged couple were at court over a company car Christopher had accused Victoria of damaging. Afterwards, he followed her home. As she drove into the garage at her apartment building and got out of the car, he ambushed her.

A witness heard a woman scream and say, "Where are you taking me?"

Christopher beat Victoria, breaking her nose, before bundling her into the boot of his car and driving off.

When the car stopped, Christopher got out and went into a fishing store. CCTV captured him picking out two fishing knives labelled ‘guaranteed sharp’, along with a black T-shirt – then he headed back to the car. His next stop was the waterfront at Taren Point fishing club.

A club member was walking nearby when he saw what he thought was a rolled-up carpet on the grass. But on closer inspection, it was the blood-drenched body of Victoria with her face on the grass and hands splayed out. She had 18 stab wounds, including two to her neck that had been slashed right down to her spine.

The fishing club in Sydney, where Victoria's body was foundThe fishing club in Sydney, where Victoria's body was found

When police arrived, they heard moaning and saw Christopher crawling out of the nearby mangrove where he said he’d tried to drown himself. He had stab wounds to the chest and abdomen, and slashed wrists.

Police apprehended him, wrapped him in a foil blanket and asked him what happened. Christopher said Victoria had "taunted him about her sex life" and he’d just "lost it". He said the stab wound to his stomach was from her and the rest he’d done himself. He was taken to hospital to recover from his injuries.

In June this year, Christopher pleaded not guilty to murder, but guilty to manslaughter. He said he was provoked and acted in "excessive self-defence".

His lawyer said, "Christopher is not suggesting he is not guilty of anything. What he is saying is in the circumstances of this case, he behaved in an excessive way and lost his self-control."

But the jury were told of Christopher’s actions that day. The ambush in the car park left Victoria’s blood on the ground. CCTV footage of Christopher picking out knives to kill her was chilling.

Behind bars

Christopher, 51, was found guilty and Victoria’s supporters sobbed with relief.

A month later, he was sentenced to 30 years and told he’d serve a minimum

of 22. The judge called the attack ‘ferocious and sustained’ and was incredulous to the killer’s lack of remorse.

9NewsCCTV shows Christopher buying knivesCCTV shows Christopher buying knives

"It’s difficult to imagine, let alone describe, the terror that must have consumed her," Justice Harrison said. "The offence was one of awful brutality and of a high level of culpability. Mr Cullen decided to kill the deceased for his own personal and selfish reasons."

The court heard about Christopher’s violent history. He’d had a two-year prison sentence after he attacked someone with a knuckle duster, and he’d also been charged with assault, once on a prison officer and another on a police officer.

The case was said to be a tragic example of the "malignant cycle of domestic violence".

Outside court, one supporter said, "Her death is devastating for us. The trial detailed Ms Cullen’s brave battle as a victim of domestic violence and a terror she did not escape."