A QUEENSLAND man who set his teenage girlfriend on fire and left her with permanent scarring has been sentenced to 11 years in jail.
Brae Taylor Lewis, 19 was convicted last week of a malicious act intended to cause grievous bodily harm after pouring fuel over his then-girlfriend Kyesha Finemore in May 2016.
“One cannot even begin to understand the excruciating pain that you inflicted on this young woman by such a vicious and callous act,” Judge Michael Williamson said during Lewis’s sentencing in the Beenleigh District Court on Friday.
Two years ago, Ms Finemore and Lewis got into a bitter argument about a mobile phone inside their South Brisbane home.
Lewis, now 19, then grabbed a jerry can filled with petrol, soaked his 17-year-old girlfriend and set her on fire.
The petrol fumes around her body meant Ms Finemore quickly became engulfed in flames, leaving her with severe burns to her arms, legs, torso and face.
Lewis was charged with one count of intent to cause grievous bodily harm and, after a harrowing trial for Ms Finemore and her family, was found guilty.
Last Friday, the jury took less than two hours to reach a verdict and the Crown prosecutor asked for a minimum sentence of 12 years.
Speaking to 7 News after her ex-boyfriend had been found guilty of the brutal attack, Ms Finemore said she still bore mental and physical scars two years on.
“I remember being in scorching pain after the flames were put out,” she said on Thursday.
“There’s days that I walk out of my house and I have to walk straight back in because I don’t want to be stared at,” she said.
Kyesha’s mother Melissa Cooke said Lewis’s trial had been difficult for the family to go through.
“I guess it’s been really stressful, the whole court case has brought up a lot of pain and nightmares,” Ms Cooke said.
“It’s a lifetime for her, it’s not just a black eye or a broken jaw.”
Two years on, Ms Finemore said she’s still in disbelief over her ex-boyfriend and former “best friend’s” crime.
“I don’t see how you could do something so horrific to someone that you love,” she said.
“If he could do it to someone that was so close to him, he could do it to anyone.”
Ms Finemore told Seven she chose to tell her domestic violence story in the hope it would encourage other women to seek help.
“You’ve just gotta remind yourself that you’re going to have bad days always but you can get through it,” she added.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) | Lifeline 13 11 14
— with wires