Milenko “Gobesan” Snjegota will be dealt with under the Mental Health Act, after he was found to have killed his father, Vitomir, in 2024. Photo: Sang Hyun Cho, Pixabay
The daughter of slain Farmborough Heights man Vitomir Snjegota told a court of the devastation she felt after the loss of her “gentle, loving” father.
In Wollongong Supreme Court on Thursday (December 11) her brother, Milenko “Gobesan” Snjegota, was proved to have killed his father, but was found not criminally responsible due to his mental health condition.
Milenko listened the judgement quietly via audio visual link. He wore his greying hair pulled back in a high ponytail and bobbed his head rhythmically throughout proceedings.
He hunched forward and looked down as his sister Silvana delivered her victim impact statement.
She told the court about the ongoing trauma she experiences due to the loss of her father.
She also spoke of the pain she and her mother endured as a result of her brother’s illness and her disappointment in the mental health system.
“I have cried as much for my brother as I have for my father,” she said.
“Both of them have been lost in different ways.
“It hurts deeply that it has taken an event of this scale for there to be recognition of the seriousness of my brother’s condition.
“While my brother couldn’t recognise his own illness, years of tribunals and encounters taught him to conceal his symptoms and move through blind spots in the system.
“Although I still cannot speak to him, I have never given up on you and mum and I have never stopped loving you, my beautiful little brother Mile.
“Thank you dad for doing the best you could do. Your strength and resilience were admirable.
“I am who I am because of you and I will carry your love with me always.”
Milenko, 48, was diagnosed with schizophrenia more than 20 years ago as a result of increasingly erratic behaviour that began in his teens.
The court heard Milenko never fully accepted his diagnosis and resisted treatment.
His family had him involuntarily committed for psychiatric help on a number of occasions.
He was subject to a mental health treatment order, but resented his medication and would avoid taking it when he could.
He lived at home in Farmborough Heights with his father Vitomir, who was devoted to caring for his son. Vitomir was also the target of Milenko’s resentment.
Milenko’s delusional beliefs, paranoia and hostility had increased as his conditioned worsened in the years leading up to Vitomir’s death, Justice Stephen Campbell found.
Justice Campbell said notes and emails found among Milenko’s belongings were evidence of his dysfunctional mind.
In one of the notes written by Milenko he referred to giving his father “a permanent knockdown”.
“He had clearly become adept at covering his symptoms in interactions with community mental health workers and his mental health was likely in much worse condition than his doctor suspected,” Justice Campbell told the court.
“He suffered from severe, chronic mental illness, including psychosis which made him more likely to be prone to extreme hostility or rage.”
Vitomir Snjegota’s body was found in his backyard by neighbours on 4 February 2024. He was covered with a sheet and his head was badly beaten by a crowbar.
A clean crowbar was found leaning against a fridge in the nearby garage, alongside a bucket of water filled with bleach.
The court heard there were seven blows and more than one of them was powerful enough to kill Vitomir instantly.
He is believed to have died on the afternoon of Saturday, February 3, 2024.
Milenko’s defence lawyer argued that easy access to the backyard meant Vitomir could have been killed by any passerby, however, Justice Campbell said he did not find that claim plausible.
“The accused was at home alone with his father on that afternoon,” Justice Campbell said.
“His motive was unclear and not entirely rational and in my judgement a product of his diseased mind and the resentment he felt towards his father for requiring him to undergo treatment.
“He had the means, motive and opportunity.
“I consider this much more likely than work of unidentified intruder.”
Milenko Snjegota will be dealt with under the Mental Health Act.
