Former sex worker jailed for murdering Indian fiance in Australia

Melbourne: A 30-year-old former sex worker has been jailed in Australia for life for murdering her India-born fiance.

The Brisbane Supreme Court jury last week found that Melissa Leigh Shaw was guilty of killing Shyam 'Sam' Dhody at his Gilston based residence in Gold Coast.

Justice Peter Flanagan said Shaw had been involved in a cowardly act. Shaw will be eligible for parole in 20 years.

The prosecution alleged that Shaw procured her infrequent lover Adam Gooley to kill Dhody, according to media reports. Further, the crown prosecutor Dennis Kinsella likened her to Helen of Troy, calling Shaw the face that planned the murder. The court was also informed that Shaw's relationship with Dhody, whom she met while working at a Molendinar brothel, was violent and had started to sour in March 2013.

Dhody was shot 10 times in his head while he was lying in his bed at his home in July 2013.

Shaw denied any knowledge of the murder plot.

Shaw, the mother of two, was also convicted of assaulting Dhody for an earlier attack.

Gooley, a mechanic, had pleaded guilty to the shooting and was also sentenced to life in prison.

"Clearly she's disappointed with the result, as anyone would be in her circumstances, and it's come as a big, big shock to her," said Shaw's lawyer Jason Jacobson.