Man sentenced for murdering partner

A man is set to be sentenced for the murder of his interior designer partner Stuart Rattle.

The family of a man murdered by the lover they comforted after his death have had their grief compounded by the sentence he's received.

Michael Anthony O'Neill maintained a charade that Stuart Rattle was ill in bed for five days, and even made him cups of tea, after he bludgeoned and strangled his partner with a dog leash.

Victorian Supreme Court judge Elizabeth Hollingworth on Wednesday jailed O'Neill for 18 years - with a minimum of 13 - for murdering Mr Rattle then later setting their apartment on fire.

O'Neill, 48, originally claimed his business partner and lover had died in the fire but confessed to the killing after police found holes in his story.

Mr Rattle's family were "shattered" by the jail term on Wednesday.

"Stuart was at the peak of his career, his brilliance was an inspiration to many," his sister, Katrina Lewin, said outside the court.

She said he was a talented, charming and generous man whom they miss every day.

"We thought coming into this today that the sentence would never be enough to compensate adequately to represent Stuart's life," Mrs Lewin said outside court.

"It's a waste of a beautiful life."

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Man sentenced for murdering partner