A British man who moved to Australia has been jailed for 17 years for manslaughter after fatally assaulting an Airbnb host who had rejected his romantic advances, then setting fire to her home in an attempt to destroy the evidence. Victorian Supreme Court Justice Andrew Tinney condemned Timothy Loosemore's "callous disregard" for victim Maree Vermont, finding he killed her out of anger and resentment after she ended their brief relationship, then torched the property she had spent decades building to cover up his crime.

Loosemore, 63, had stayed at Ms Vermont's rural property north of Melbourne from March 2023, initially as an Airbnb guest, exchanging work for accommodation before the pair briefly became intimate. Five days after she ended the relationship, he fatally assaulted the 60-year-old mother of three on 5 August 2023 and set fire to her house. He denied any wrongdoing throughout the trial and showed no remorse, repeatedly lying to neighbours, police, paramedics and his own psychologist. He will be eligible for parole after 13 years, while Ms Vermont's son Darcy said the sentence did not reflect what the family had lost but brought some relief that the court process was over.