A man who stabbed and killed a 64-year-old Irishman in Australia has been sentenced to 27 years in jail.

Dermot O'Toole - originally from Dublin - was murdered in his jewellery shop, The Jewel Shed, in Hastings in Victoria on the 12th of July 2013.

Mr O'Toole's wife, Bridget, was also stabbed a number of times in the botched robbery.

Gavin Perry has pleaded guilty to murder, armed robbery and intentionally causing injury - he said he was high on the drug 'ice' when he carried out the attack. Perry already had a number of convictions for armed robbery.

23 years of the sentence will be a non-parole period.

In her statement, Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth said: "Even accepting that, prior to entering the store, you had not formed an actual intention to use the knife to harm anybody, you clearly intended to use it to threaten or frighten whichever staff were in the store at the time.

"As soon as you encountered the slightest resistance from the O'Tooles, you swiftly resorted to using the knife against them both."