Simon Gittany - Domestic Homicide Case Study

Question 1: What type of homicide is featured in this case?

The homicide that is featured in this case can be classified as a domestic homicide. Specifically, it is an intimate femicide or intimate partner homicide. This means that the perpetrator was a male and the victim was a female. The intimate relationship was evident and can be justified as during the time of the incident the offender (Mr Gittany) and the victim (Miss Harman) were engaged and were living together.

Question 2: What are the main characteristics of the offender?

According to Ms. Anna Robillards, who was a psychologist who assessed Mr Gittany had said he had a stable and caring upbringing charteristics. However, Simon Gittany has a history of violent offences. At the age of 18 Gittany was convicted of an assault occasioning in bodily harm and was released on a good behaviour bond, at age 21 he was convicted of two offences, receiving stolen goods and failure to appear for court. Local police were dispatched to arrest Mr Gittany for these offences he had assaulted one officers. During the appeal Gittany’s charges were dropped as a report from his probation officer that stated that Gittany was a religious man and wanted to commit his life towards the religion and joined a catholic order in France.

Gittany soon left the church without completing his Novicate and left back to Australia. Not long after his arrival in Australia Gittany was convicted of offences of supplying illicit drugs and having stolen goods in his custody. Through out Gittany’s life he had worked many different jobs however did not stay in one job for longer than few months.

Question 3: To what extent are these offender characteristics similar to or different from general patterns in offenders who commit this particular type of homicide?

Most family homicides (60%), occur between intimate partners as did this homicide (Australian Institute of Criminology 2003). Simon Gittany was a male perpetrator. In almost 4 out of 5 intimate partner homicides the perpetrator was a male (Australian Institute of Criminology 1998). The murder was committed at the home (AustLII 2015), the majority of intimate-partner homicides occur in the intimacy of the home where the amount of external social control is very limited (Australian Institute of Criminology 1998). The offender did not appear to be working at the time of the homicide (AustLII 2015), this is common with 53.5% of intimate homicide offenders not working (Australian Institute of Criminology 1998). Mr Gittany was born in Australia (AustLII 2015) this is consistent with 69% of homicide offenders being Australian born (Australian Institute of Criminology 1998).

In addition to this, Simon Gittany is male,