A woman who stabbed a man to death while on parole for other violent offending has been sentenced to nine and a half years in jail.
The Supreme Court heard Tracey Marie Jacob, 35, first met Billy Jackson on the evening she killed him in April 2019.
The pair were among those gathered at a barbecue on Mornington Island in north-west Queensland.
Crown prosecutor Andrew Walklate told the court Jacob began trying to provoke Mr Jackson after realising he was the ex-partner of one of her friends.
Various witnesses had said it appeared Jacob "had it in" for Jackson and she had been seen hitting him around the head.
However, nobody saw the stabbing and the specific weapon used to kill Mr Jackson was never identified.
Mr Jackson was found dead inside a locked bedroom the next morning.
Jacob, who fled the home, was initially charged with murder.
Killer may have 'perceived' threat
Jacob apologised to Mr Jackson's family and the community through her lawyer at a sentencing hearing in Cairns on Thursday.
She pleaded guilty to manslaughter in April after a 13-year-old witness gave evidence in court about seeing Mr Jackson take Jacob's hand and lead her into the bedroom.
It was the last time Mr Jackson was seen alive.
Defence counsel James Benjamin said Jacob had been exposed to domestic violence and sexual abuse since childhood and may have reacted to a "perceived threat" as a result.
He tendered a report from a psychologist who found Jacob's actions were "likely to be underpinned by fear for her safety and erroneous anger cognitions".
Jacob had previously been convicted of several violent offences, including instances where she had used weapons and caused grievous bodily harm.
Time to make amends
Chief Justice Helen Bowskill said Jacob's abusive upbringing did not excuse what she had done.
"But as a community, we have to understand there are consequences for abuse, neglect and trauma that is caused to people," she said.
Chief Justice Bowskill said she had been persuaded to impose a sentence of less than 10 years to avoid triggering a requirement for Jacob to serve 80 per cent of her sentence before being eligible for parole.
Two of Mr Jackson's relatives told the court in victim impact statements how the loss of the "kind-hearted" and "well-respected" man had left them devastated, particularly in a remote community without services to assist with their trauma.
"What you owe to this man, and to this man's family, is to do your very best that you can to make amends by your actions," Chief Justice Bowskill told Jacob.
"Your words may not mean anything to them, but your actions can mean something ... how you behave, how you change and how you demonstrate that.
"The sentence that I am imposing I'm hoping can give you an opportunity to do that in some way."
Jacob has already served more than two years and seven months.
