Man who stabbed wife to death has four-year sentence doubled on appeal
A man who stabbed his wife to death outside a Darwin hotel in 2023 has had his four-year prison sentence doubled on appeal after prosecutor's argued it was "manifestly inadequate".
In 2023, Dennis Naroldol, aged 60, was found guilty of negligent manslaughter for stabbing his wife to death outside the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Darwin. The court sentenced him to four years in prison with a three-year non-parole period, which expired in April 2024. However, the Northern Territory prosecutors contested this sentence, arguing that it was manifestly inadequate and failed to meet important sentencing requirements such as deterrence, punishment, denunciation, and protection of the community.
After a successful appeal, the NT Court of Criminal Appeal doubled Naroldol's sentence to eight years, with a four-year and six-month non-parole period. The increased sentence was due to Naroldol's history of domestic violence, his wife's status as his spouse, and the severity of the crime, including the level of force used and the public nature of the incident.
The defense argued that Naroldol's intoxication and the unsophisticated nature of the attack were mitigating factors, but the appeal judges disagreed, emphasizing the pernicious nature of domestic violence and its impact on society and families. Naroldol will now be eligible for parole in October 2027.
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