Elliott said Young had physically assaulted McGuire before shoving her to the floor.
“You then put arms around her neck and strangled her for some time,” he said.
Hannah McGuire’s mother Debbie (centre) outside court.Credit: Justin McManus
Young then dumped the 23-year-old’s body in the back of her orange Mitsubishi Triton ute, before driving to Scarsdale and setting the vehicle alight with a blowtorch.
Young tried to cover up the murder by sending a series of text messages, purporting to be from McGuire, to her mother in an attempt to make her death look like suicide.
McGuire’s parents previously told the court how they desperately searched for their daughter after receiving the texts when she was, in fact, already dead.
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“I will never forget, and I will never forgive. It is a burden I will carry for the rest of my life,” Hannah’s mother Debbie McGuire said.
“There are mornings I wake, and I forget for a brief second that she is gone, and then the immense pain and suffering the accused has caused hits me all over again.”
Hannah’s father said he struggled with thoughts of suicide and felt he had failed to protect his daughter.
Elliott said the suffering of McGuire’s parents was difficult to comprehend.
“From all accounts of those who gave statements to this court … she was obviously a very special, warm, giving and thoughtful person who lived her life in the interest of others,” he said.
Young cried once during the hearing, when Elliott mentioned how his sister had visited him in jail, admitting to killing McGuire and expressing his remorse.
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On Tuesday, the Ballarat courtroom was filled with McGuire’s family, friends and colleagues from Delacombe Primary School, where she worked as a teacher’s aide.
Young frequently degraded McGuire, body-shamed her, screamed and swore at her in public, controlled her and stalked her outside her workplace before trying to run her off the road in his car.
He was also repeatedly physically violent towards her and called her 129 times in less than 24 hours following a break-up.
Young was given a non-parole period of 22 years and four months.
If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.
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