Dashcam footage has captured the chaotic fight that led to the death of father-of-six and sovereign citizen Jason Smith, who was stabbed to death by his “long-term friend” Paul Cairney.
Paul Cairney, 55, was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday after being found guilty of murder by a jury in June 2025.
Footage obtained by news.com.au shows the fight between the friends in Bellambi near Wollongong, which ended in the stabbing death of Mr Smith on December 18, 2022.
The court heard how Mr Smith was staying in a trailer in Cairney’s then-partner’s backyard when the couple had decided he had overstayed his welcome and kicked him out.
The video, which is a compilation of CCTV, dashcam, and phone footage, shows Cairney threatening Mr Smith with a baseball bat before putting Mr Smith’s belongings onto the road outside the house.
His belongings include his trailer, displaying a sovereign citizen flag.
At one point, the men fight one another with large metal poles.
At another point, Cairney’s partner, Sandra Ponfield, can be seen attacking the sovereign citizen flag with a metal object.
The court heard how, at one point, Cairney decided to arm himself with a knife, which can be seen in his hand towards the end of the footage.
The confrontation escalated when Mr Smith questioned where his car was and walked towards the carport, trying to get inside the house.
A ring doorbell camera captured audio of the stabbing, where Cairney can be heard yelling, “Get out, Smitty”.
Dashcam shows Mr Smith then walking onto the road, bleeding and clutching his neck.
The court heard how Cairney stabbed Mr Smith near his collarbone and hit a major artery, with blood “splattering” onto the roof of the carport before he stumbled and collapsed onto the road outside.
Cairney then fled the scene before being arrested and charged.
He told the court that he was only acting in self-defence when he stabbed Mr Smith.
However, during Tuesday’s sentence, Judge Stephen Campbell found Mr Smith walked into the carport unarmed.
Judge Campbell also found that Cairney didn’t intend to kill Mr Smith and did not know that a “shallow wound to that area of the body was going to be fatal”.
“Both men were angry with each other,” Judge Campbell said.
“The offender had obtained the knife to keep him out of the property.
“Not all murders are the same.”
The court heard from Mr Smith’s daughter, who spoke on behalf of his six children.
She said that while he was not a “perfect man” he was a “wonderful father” and spoke of his love for his dog Smokey.
“He had a sense of humour that could light up the room and make people laugh even in difficult moments,” she said.
“He was also a proud grandfather to three beautiful grandchildren. He loved them dearly, and they loved their grandfather.
“One of the most painful parts of the loss is knowing that they will grow up without him.”
Judge Campbell said he considered this in his sentencing and noted his daughter’s acknowledgment that Mr Smith was not a “perfect man”.
“But who is?” Judge Campbell said.
Cairney was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 13 years and six months.
The sentence will be backdated to when he was first taken into custody in December 2022.
He will be first eligible for parole on the 17th of June, 2036.
Do you know more? Is there another case we should be covering? Get in touch with our reporter sarah.keoghan@news.com.au or reach out to us anonymously here.
