A man who collected takeaway pizza after viciously bashing his partner to death has been jailed for at least 11 years.
Robert Rickerby, 30, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Jessica Geddes in Melbourne’s southeast.
The 27-year-old was left to die in the bedroom of their Endeavour Hills property on November 6, 2020, after sustaining extensive blunt force injuries to her head and chest.
After the fatal bashing, Rickerby went to collect two pizzas and ate several pieces before calling his parents.
They encouraged him to call an ambulance, which he did 30 minutes later.
Robert Rickerby will spend up to 15-and-a-half years behind bars after admitting to killing his partner in their Melbourne home
When paramedics arrived, they confirmed Ms Geddes was already dead.
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,’ the judge told Rickerby.
He will be eligible for parole after serving 11 years in prison, and has already spent two years and two months behind bars.
It took detectives 18 months to charge Rickerby over Ms 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 in the Supreme Court on Monday.
Jessica Geddes (pictured) had been subjected to years physical and verbal abuse from Rickerby before her death, the prosecutor told the court
Police could not say exactly when Ms Geddes was killed, although it was sometime between 2.40pm and 5.55pm on November 6.
A forensic examiner found Ms 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.
Ms Geddes had been subjected to years physical and verbal abuse from Rickerby before her death, the prosecutor told the court.
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