Mum’s pain over ‘depraved’ torture, manslaughter of son, killer jailed

WARNING: Contains distressing content

A mother has described her family’s “tsunami of pain” as a man has been jailed for the torture and manslaughter of her son.

Michael Bradley Small has been sentenced to 14 years in jail over the “depraved and concerted” death of Andrew Wright Stephens.

Small, 37, had been found not guilty of murdering Stephens, his partner’s friend, on August 30, 2020.

But a Brisbane Supreme Court jury last week found Small guilty of manslaughter after the decomposed body of Stephens was found at his home at Taringa, inner Brisbane, on September 3, 2020.

The jury heard police did a welfare check after Stephens uncharacteristically failed to respond to calls from his mother, finding his body covered with a blanket and a pink sex toy nearby.

Prosecutors said during the two-week trial the torture and killing of Stephens was the “fairytale ending” for Small after eight months of growing hostility between the men.

The court heard Small, an escort, disliked Stephens for interfering in the 37-year-old’s relationship with Scott Richard Gordon.

The Crown alleged Stephens let Gordon into his house in the early hours of August 30, with Small entering separately.

The court heard Small kicked and punched Stephens in the head before struggling with the naked 48-year-old and taping his mouth.

During the torture, Small injected his blood into Stephens’ heart, the court was told.

Gordon testified in Small’s trial after earlier pleading guilty to Stephens’ manslaughter.

“It was just a cowardly thing for two of you to combine and attack against such a vulnerable man,” Justice Peter Callaghan said during sentencing on Wednesday.

“I do find that you and Gordon were complicit in a depraved and concerted joint effort to demean and humiliate a man who was not in a position to resist.”

Stephens’ mother Annette Roland said her son’s death had created a “tsunami of pain” for their family.

“He never had a bad word to say about anyone with one exception, one person he referred to as a bad man,” she said in her victim impact statement.

“I will leave all here today to use your imagination as to who he was referring to.”

Stephens’ sister Amanda Nicole Story read a victim impact statement on Wednesday via video link.

“I trust that Michael Small will receive just punishment according to the law and that it will recognise ... his culpability for Andrew’s death in this cruel and extraordinary torture he inflicted on Andrew before he died,” she said.

Justice Callaghan said Small had not exhibited “anything resembling genuine remorse” in the four years in which he had been in custody.

His mother sat behind him in court as Small was convicted of a serious violent offence, ensuring he must serve 80% of his 14-year jail term.