DPP appeals 18-year jail term of Stuart Rattle's killer, saying it's 'manifestly inadequate'

Stuart Rattle Photo: Supplied

The Director of Public Prosecutions is appealing against the 18-year jail sentence handed to the man who murdered well-known interior designer Stuart Rattle, saying it was manifestly inadequate.

Michael O'Neill, known as the "The Talented Mr Ripley" because of the way he constantly lied, was jailed on February 11 for 18 years with a non-parole period of 13 years for killing his long-time partner.

Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth found O'Neill, 48, had been in a "fragile psychological state" when he hit Mr Rattle over the head with a saucepan at the couple's South Yarra apartment at 6am on December 4, 2013, before strangling him with a dog lead as he begged for his life.

Michael O'Neill (left) and Stuart Rattle. Photo: Supplied

O'Neill claimed he snapped after Mr Rattle, 53, called him a "frigid bitch" for refusing to have sex with him that morning.

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He placed Mr Rattle's body inside a large furniture bag and left it on their bed for the rest of the week as he went about his normal routine before returning on Sunday night, December 8, to set fire to the apartment.

Chief Crown prosecutor Gavin Silbert, SC, said O'Neill, who pleaded guilty to charges of murder and arson, had killed Mr Rattle to try to cover up his incompetence, which had been threatening to bankrupt the interior designer's business.

O'Neill had been responsible for accounts, quoting, invoicing and ordering stock for clients.

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DPP appeals 18-year jail term of Stuart Rattle's killer, saying it's 'manifestly inadequate'