Murderer learns his fate after stabbing mother-of-five Vitorina Bruce 17 times with a chef's knife while high on meth in a hotel as terrified guests watched on
The couple met at a motel The pair travelled to Perth to celebrate his birthdayREAD MORE: Mum of a young boy found dead inside a home
A man has been jailed for life after brutally stabbing his partner to death in a hotel while high on drugs.
Julian Alexander Pau, 44, used a 15cm chef's knife to attack Vitorina Bruce, 40, on the sixth floor of the Quality Hotel Ambassador, in Perth's CBD, just before 10am on November 20, 2022.
Ms Bruce was stabbed 17 times and suffered wounds to her stomach, back and chest.
Pau was charged with murder before he was sentenced to at least 20 years behind bars in the WA Supreme Court on Tuesday.
The 44-year-old had attacked the mother-of-five inside their hotel room and stabbed her eight times before Ms Bruce tried to flee.
Vitorina Bruce (pictured) was stabbed 17 times on the sixth floor of the Quality Hotel Ambassador, in Perth's CBD on November 20, 2022.
She ran out of the room naked as Pau, who was also not wearing any clothes, gave chase.
Horrified hotel guests watched on as Ms Bruce and Pau fell on the ground before he attacked his victim and stabbed her in the stomach.
Police rushed to the scene and found Pau covered in blood before he was arrested and later charged with murder.
Footage captured by body-worn cameras showed Pau expressing his grief after the incident.
'She's f****** dead, they f****** tricked me. Why did I listen,' he said.
'Quick, get an ambulance and get her back to life. Oh my god, I am so sorry.'
Pau had taken one gram of methamphetamine on the morning he attacked Ms Bruce.
He began to see things and heard voices which led him to think that his partner was a threat to his safety.
Ms Bruce moved from Fiji to Australia in June, 2022 to support her family back home and took up a job as a cleaner at The Oasis, a motel in Newman in central WA.
The mother-of-five (pictured) moved to Australia from Fiji in June, 2022 to support her family back home and took up a job as a cleaner at a hotel
Pau attacked Ms Bruce in the corridor of the sixth floor of the Quality Hotel Ambassador (pictured), as horrified hotel guests watched on
She met Pau, who was a pastry chef at the motel, a few months before the pair travelled to Perth to celebrate his 42nd birthday.
Pau arrived in the city on November 16 and he met with a drug dealer and bought liquid meth.
Ms Bruce flew into town two days later because the pair had an argument and she didn't want to travel with him on the same day.
The stayed at the Adina Apartment Hotel before they returned to the Ambassador and later went shopping in Belmont.
The pair came back to their hotel room with a pizza.
Justice Joseph McGrath told the court Pau committed a senseless act against a woman who had a young family.
A GoFundMe, which was set up following the death of Ms Bruce, raised more than $4,000 to cover her funeral costs.
She was laid to rest in December, 2022.
Pau will be eligible for parole in 2042.
Domestic Violence Hotline: 1800 737 732
Lifeline: 13 11 14.
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