Ex-prostitute jailed for killing punter
Thu Oct 11 2012

A former Sydney prostitute who was sexually abused as a child has been jailed for killing a customer who indulged in fantasies of paedophilia.

Patricia Mary Butler, 30, was picked up by Brendon Potter, 40, while working as a hooker in Kings Cross.

She killed him in a nearby apartment, bashing him up to 30 times with a piece of granite and then stabbing him three times after he muttered fantasies of child sex abuse, the NSW Supreme Court heard.

Justice Richard Button jailed Butler for seven years on Thursday, with a non-parole period of four and a half years.

The former heroin addict admitted manslaughter on the grounds of provocation.

Justice Button accepted that Butler had "blacked out" during the brutal attack and that the "fantasies" uttered by Mr Potter served as a powerful reminder of the sexual abuse she suffered as a child.

The killing occurred after Butler performed a sex act on Mr Potter in a car at Rushcutters Bay, in Sydney's east, on July 30, 2010.

It was during that act that Mr Potter first made reference to sexually abusing a child "to attain sexual gratification", Justice Button said.

"The offender reacted adversely to what was said but did not bring the arrangement to an end," Justice Button added.

The pair then moved to a flat in nearby Potts Point, where Butler agreed to perform further sex acts with Mr Potter.

"The offender complied with a request from the deceased that she dress in particular clothes," Justice Button continued.

"The deceased had brought a laptop computer with him, connected to an interactive site where one can watch so-called models perform sexual acts in real time, in return for money.

"The offender was in a position to see what was shown on the computer screen and she saw that one of the people depicted appeared to be an 11- or 12-year-old girl."

During the ensuing sex act Mr Potter made further mention of a "fantasy" involving child sex abuse, Justice Button said.

Butler lost self control, picked up a piece of "domestic" granite and hit Mr Potter up to 30 times.

She then stabbed him three times, with the knife plunging 12 centimetres into his neck during one of the stabs.

He died at the scene.

Butler initially considered covering her tracks, the court heard.

But when police arrived a short time later, having been called by her boyfriend, she immediately admitted killing Mr Potter.

With time already spent in custody taken into account, the earliest Butler will be released is January 2015.

news.ninemsn.com.au