Two brothers who destroyed their family home to stop their sister from getting a cut of their parents' estate have been slammed by a judge.
Garry, 59, and Malcolm Taylor, 57, travelled from Hervey Bay in Queensland to Murtoa in regional Victoria to destroy the house left to them as inheritance the day before it went to auction in March, 2019.
The destruction, which was filmed by the brothers much to their 'amusement', was to rob their sister Kerrie, 61, of any money made as a result of the sale.
'You were laughing while you destroyed your sister's inheritance. Now the world is laughing at you for your stupidity,' County Court Judge Michael Cahill told them on Friday.
The brothers were each fined $10,000 after admitting charges of theft and criminal damage.
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Two brothers destroyed their family home to stop their sister getting a cut of the estate left by their parents after claiming she 'killed their mother'
Garry and Malcolm Taylor travelled from Hervey Bay to Murtoa in regional Victoria to destroy the house left to them as inheritance the day before it went to auction in March, 2019
The destruction, which was filmed by the brothers much to their 'amusement', was to rob their sister Kerrie, 61, of any money made as a result of the sale
According to court documents, Malcolm called the real estate agent handling the sale in November 2018 claiming Kerrie 'killed his mother'
The Victoria County Court heard that the brothers were determined their sister 'wasn't going to get a cent' and that they would 'rather pull it down piece by piece' than share the money.
According to court documents, Malcolm called the real estate agent handling the sale in November 2018 claiming Kerrie 'killed his mother' and that he would 'continue to take items from the house until there was nothing left'.
During a pre-sentence hearing the court heard Malcolm Taylor was genuinely remorseful for his actions that day.
But ahead of the sentencing prosecutors tried to squash that argument, pointing Judge Cahill to a media report in which Malcolm Taylor replied 'absolutely not' when asked by a reporter if he regretted his actions.
Lawyer Mike Anderson, who appeared with both men by video link from Hervey Bay, instead said Malcolm Taylor had been harassed by the media over the incident, which was reported around the world.
'If Your Honour had any worry about the concept of deterrent, the media have done that,' he said.
'There's no way these men will ever offend again.'
The whole incident has been a costly affair for the brothers.
It was estimated the total loss to the estate was around $60,000 - a $20,000 loss each. They also agreed in May 2019 to pay their sister a 'reasonable' amount to compensate her for her lost inheritance.
Pictured: The Taylor's Murtoa house before Garry and Malcolm destroyed it using an excavator before it could go to auction in March 2019
The Taylor brothers' 'renovations' of the home were the result of a years-long and 'deep seated' battle with their sister, who was the executor of their parents' estate.
Their mother Lois died in December 2013, leaving her estate in the hands of daughter Kerrie - a decision Garry and Malcolm
