Sentencing hearing for son who murdered and burned his mother in 2024
Consensus Summary
Shannon James Doble, 44, pleaded guilty in 2025 to the murder of his mother, Nerol Doble, 65, after setting her on fire at their Bribbaree property in January 2024. The attack followed a dispute over a jerry can, during which Doble doused his mother with fuel, burned her house, and allegedly said 'You're going to burn, bitch.' Nerol Doble died the next day in hospital after suffering severe burns. A sentencing hearing in the NSW Supreme Court on April 10, 2026, revealed Doble has no memory of the attack, with psychologists attributing his actions to a dissociative response triggered by his mother’s voice. His lawyer argued he was provoked and suffered from a personality disorder, though Justice Julia Lonergan dismissed claims of provocation, calling the murder an extreme response to a minor dispute. The family described enduring a 'continuous nightmare' of trauma, while Doble’s lack of remorse was highlighted during proceedings.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Shannon James Doble pleaded guilty to the murder of his mother, Nerol Doble (65), on January 2024 at Bribbaree, NSW
- Nerol Doble died in Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney the day after the attack (January 2024)
- Doble doused his mother with fuel and set her on fire, also burning down her house, after a disagreement over a jerry can used for a lawnmower
- Shannon Doble was living in a modified bus on his mother’s property at Bribbaree, NSW, at the time of the attack
- Doble told his mother 'You're going to burn, bitch' (or 'burn b***h') while attacking her
- Sentencing hearing took place in the NSW Supreme Court on April 10, 2026, with Justice Julia Lonergan presiding
- Doble has no recollection of the attack, with psychologist Vanessa Edwige stating he experienced a dissociative response triggered by his mother’s voice
- Doble’s lawyer, Michael King, argued he suffered from a personality disorder due to childhood deprivation and claimed he was provoked by his mother
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- A close family member (16 at the time) described Nerol Doble as 'the other half of my soul' and suffers from crippling anxiety, saying 'I hate that I could not prevent it'
- The family’s statement called the act 'the lowest form of humanity' and described ongoing trauma, including avoiding social outings
- Crown prosecutor Virginia Morgan highlighted the severity of Nerol Doble’s burns, stating 'The suffering she must have endured'
- Justice Lonergan praised the family member’s bravery and efforts to aid Nerol Doble during the attack
- Bribbaree is described as a small community in central NSW, between West Wyalong and Young
- Doble hit his mother over the head with a jerry can three times before setting the house on fire
- Another person tried to save Nerol Doble but was kicked in the torso by Doble
- Justice Lonergan described Nerol Doble’s injuries as 'skin peeling away from her body' and 'hair entirely burned off'
- Emergency services took 40 minutes to arrive and provide pain relief
- Doble’s lawyer argued the lost $11 chuck key for his drill was the 'final straw' in the argument
- Justice Lonergan dismissed provocation claims, stating 'losing a key is really annoying ... but you do not then turn around and murder your mother'
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC states Doble admitted to dousing his mother with fuel and setting her on fire *following a disagreement regarding the use of a jerry can to fill up a lawnmower*, while NEWSCOMAU specifies the argument was over a *lost $11 chuck key for his drill*
- NEWSCOMAU claims Doble *hit his mother over the head with a jerry can three times* before setting the fire, but ABC does not mention this detail
- NEWSCOMAU includes that *another person was kicked in the torso by Doble while trying to save Nerol Doble*, a detail not reported by ABC
- NEWSCOMAU states emergency services took *40 minutes to arrive*, a specific timeframe not mentioned in ABC
Source Articles
Life a 'continuous nightmare' for family of woman set alight by her son
NSW grandmother Nerol Doble was murdered by her son Shannon James Doble in 2024 after an argument over the use of a jerry can. During a sentencing hearing, family members told the court of the hell hi...
‘Burn b***h’: Man’s words as he lit nan on fire
A court has heard how a son murdered his 65-year-old mother by dousing her in petrol and lighting her on fire as she lay in her garden....