Man jailed 3+ years for excessive self-defence stabbing
A man was sentenced to over three years in prison for fatally stabbing Adam Cordingley in what courts ruled excessive self-defence.
Robert Mathew Marshall was sentenced in NSW Supreme Court for manslaughter, not the original murder charge. The stabbing happened on 23 March 2024 at Marshall's farm in Bungonia after Cordingley arrived looking to discuss an affair Marshall had had with Cordingley's wife, which had ended in mid-2023.
A scuffle broke out and Marshall used a hunting knife to stab Cordingley three times; two wounds were fatal. The jury rejected Marshall's self-defence claim.
Justice Paul McGuire found that although Cordingley was the initial aggressor and punched Marshall, the three stab wounds were deliberate acts and an unreasonable response. Marshall had armed himself with the knife, which exposed Cordingley to serious risk.
The judge accepted Marshall did not intend to kill, had no criminal record, and was unlikely to reoffend, which led to the lower sentence.
- Over three years in prison
- Sentence imposed
- 23 March 2024
- Date of death
- Bungonia farm, NSW
- Location
- Adam Cordingley, 38, father of four
- Victim
Why it mattersThe case shows how self-defence claims are tested in court: having a weapon changes what counts as reasonable force.
AustraliaNSW courts continue to prosecute cases where armed response in a scuffle crosses into manslaughter, a common scenario in rural disputes.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 14 h ago
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