Hassan Jabbie: Sentencing delay of man who murdered lover Janet Dweh and their unborn baby distresses family

The devastated family and friends of a Perth mother who was brutally murdered by her lover while heavily pregnant are disappointed his sentencing has been delayed for “unacceptable” reasons. Janet Dweh was bludgeoned with a claw hammer in her Dayton home on the night of October 3, 2021 and her bloodied body was found sprawled on her bed —by older brother Darius Dweh — the next day. After accusing multiple other members of the Liberian community of committing the horrific crime, Hassan W. Jabbie was found guilty by a Supreme Court of WA jury in June. But his scheduled sentencing on Thursday was delayed, with his lawyer Hanming Jiang, appearing in Sean Dworcan’s absence, admitting the reason was not acceptable. A court-ordered psychiatrist report was received in August, but the defence lawyers only recently realised Jabbie had been seeing his own psychiatrist before the murder — which tragically robbed three children of their mother. It also killed Ms Dweh’s unborn child with Jabbie, a then married father-of-two, who had urged the 36-year-old registered nurse to terminate. Mr Jiang said records from Jabbie’s own psychiatrist should have been obtained before sentencing — suggesting PTSD had been identified — and had the hearing delayed until February. Ms Dweh’s younger brother Jeremiah Dweh, 27, said it had been “a long three years” and the family was “not happy” with the sentencing delay. “But we understand that, of course, the judicial system has to do what they have to do,” he told reporters. “We’ve been continuously trying to find a way to heal. “But obviously coming down to court ... is just a constant reminder of what we’re going through.” Florence Brrks, a friend of Ms Dweh, described the case as “a horror movie”, saying Jabbie still denied being the killer. “We are a very small community living in Perth ... It was shocking,” she said. “People are horrified by the fact that we still have some people that are supporting him. “To accuse other people of committing a murder when you actually planned it and executed it ... it is upsetting and deceiving too. “We haven’t been at peace as a community. “Until we can experience justice, that’s the only way we’ll be happy.” Jeremiah Dweh said it was an understatement to describe the loss of his sister, who cared for him a lot when he was young while their mother was working, as heart-wrenching. “She is someone that was very caring, someone that was very loving to everybody,” he said. “I have tremendous respect for her, and I always will, no matter whether she’s here or she’s not. “If I’ve got kids one day, especially daughters, I would want them to be exactly like my sister.” Family friend George Sowod said the sentencing delay was disappointing, saying Jabbie should be jailed for “50 years”. 1800 RESPECT