The father of a man who died after ingesting lethal amounts of GHB under duress has branded two guys who accept responsibility for his death as nasty men and gutless dogs.
In May 2020, Jarrad Lovison’s body was discovered in a secluded Victorian state forest.
In a dispute about a continuing relationship with his former partner’s new love interest, Andrew Price, family had reported him missing five weeks ago.
After entering a guilty plea to manslaughter, Price and Jake Brown appeared before the Victoria Supreme Court on Friday for a pre-sentence hearing.
Lovison had discussed taking GHB with Samantha Guillerme in mid-April.
She picked him up and handed him off to Price and Brown, who were carrying weapons, in the isolated Moondarra State Forest close to Morwell in eastern Victoria.
He took a deadly dose of GHB there and was left alone in the wilderness, perhaps sleeping or unconscious.
Jarrad Lovison was not forced to use GHB at gunpoint, according to prosecutor Mark Rochford KC, but his awareness that both Price and Brown had weapons made his use of it unlawful.
It was said that Brown, now 31, and Price, now 50, didn’t want to kill Lovison; rather, they wanted to leave him in the wilderness crippled and unable to return to town.
Because of Price’s extreme rivalry and jealously over a lady, John Lovison claimed the guys planned to assassinate his son.
“You have taken away from us the most loved, beautiful, and precious thing we had left in our lives, and that can never be forgiven or forgotten,” he stated.
The fact that the 37-year-old dog breeder’s body was left exposed to the elements pains the family.
He called the two guys “gutless dogs” and said, “We were not even allowed to say goodbye because of what you gutless dogs did to him.”
Price’s attorney Tim Marsh characterized Lovison’s distressed testimony to the court as being “over the odds,” but even his own client acknowledged that the comments were reasonable and that he could see Lovison’s point of view.
Price admitted to his attorney that he would have felt the same way if his son had been slain.
Michael Crouch, a judge, concurred.
It’s the most natural of human reactions, I think I would too, he said.
Lovison also criticized the legal system for allowing Price and Brown to be released on bail and move into the same tiny town as the family of their victim.
Before being released, each was detained for more than 600 days. They will likely go back to prison before being sentenced.
While Jarrad Lovison had received GHB under risky conditions, Marsh said it was unclear how much of the drug had been administered to him or how much he may have consumed voluntarily earlier.
When asked about the existence of weapons, Marsh mentioned that Lovison had previously assaulted Price, who had broken his arm.
Not sure whether it’s my strongest argument, but that’s also a factor, he said.
For her involvement in Lovison’s death, Guillerme was given a prison term of at least 15 months earlier this year.
On June 22, Price and Brown will be sentenced.
