A man has pleaded guilty after going on a violent rampage following a horrific discovery involving those closest to him.
David McCulloch, 41, became infuriated after finding his wife having sex with his brother in the back of a car -- while his mom sat behind the wheel.
McCulloch met his wife, Jacinta King, when they were teenagers, and the couple have been together for 25 years, sharing four children and even matching tattoos, the Daily Mail reports.
However, on March 28 earlier this year, McCulloch became concerned when King wouldn't answer her phone.
Court documents show that McCulloch's mom, Sue - who lived with the couple - had driven King to the home of her other son, Jamie McCulloch.
With her son and daughter-in-law in the back seat, mom sue reportedly drove to a block of units and stopped in a nearby parking lot.
When a suspicious David McCulloch drove to the same parking lot, he reportedly discovered his wife having sex with his brother on the backseats.
Mom Sue - sitting in the front - was apparently unbothered by what was going on behind her, per The Mail.
Enraged by what he had found in the Tasmania parking lot, David McCulloch launched into a violent attack with a shovel, The Advocate reported.
The Burnie Supreme Court heard during his sentencing that he started to punch his brother in the chest and body, before pushing his wife into the car window and striking her several times in the head.
When his brother attempted to flee, David grabbed a shovel from his vehicle and started battering his brother.
He repeatedly shouted that he would "kill them all", as he also pushed his own mother into a trash can.
His attack continued, as McCulloch used his now-broken shovel to beat King in the head, before landing another punch in her eye.
After neighbors called the police, McCulloch was arrested and charged with a string of assault charges, as well as possession of cannabis and a homemade firearm that he confessed to having at his home.
His wife and brother were transported to Mersey Community Hospital where they were treated for their injuries.
On Friday (October 25), McCulloch was sentenced to three years in prison.
Speaking of the incident, Justice Tamara Jago said: "The betrayal by your wife and brother, and the apparent acquiescence of your mother, must have been upsetting, and whilst one can appreciate that would give rise to a level of angst and frustration, it in no way excuses what you then did.
"It does, however, place your behaviour into a specific context.
"This was not premeditated or planned behaviour, but rather was a spontaneous reaction to you discovering a difficult situation involving a breach of trust."
The judge overseeing the sentencing stressed McCulloch intent to commit grievous bodily harm on his brother, but pointed out that the actual harm he caused was "moderate".
"You reacted most inappropriately, but I accept it was an emotive response to the circumstances that you had discovered," the judge told McCulloch.
McCulloch's three-year sentence was backdated to May 7 when he was taken into custody. He was also fined $1,000.
The Mail reports that the last 18 months of McCulloch's sentence will be suspended on the condition that he does not commit any crimes for two years.
