A Melbourne handyman used a "blatantly preposterous" claim about a botched sex game to take advantage of the fact his murder victim was a prostitute, a judge says.
But Steven Constantinou's lies were an "utterly hopeless" waste of time when the reality is he murdered a woman defined by far more than her job.
That was the assessment of Victorian Supreme Court Justice Phillip Priest on Friday when he sentenced the 49-year-old to a minimum of 20 years in jail.
Constantinou strangled Johanna "Jazzy O" Martin in 2011 before stripping her of her jewellery, selling it, and dumping her body in the bushes.
But he tried to convince the jury that she died during an erotic asphyxiation fantasy gone wrong.
He said the pair were watching a porn film in his Port Melbourne home while he tugged on the reins of a dog collar she was wearing.
But Justice Priest said that story was ridiculous.
"It was a somewhat opportunistic attempt, in my opinion, to capitalise on the fact that Ms Martin was a sex worker," he said.
The judge noted how Constantinou had already been caught in a lie because he initially told police she had strangled herself - an act a medical expert found to be impossible.
Constantinou didn't show a shred of remorse and even tried to blame Ms Martin for her own death, the judge said.
Her friends and family thanked the judge for putting the case in perspective after the sentence, which has a 24-year maximum.
"The focus has been on her business and that's not fair," said long-time friend Barbara Bushell.
"She was still a human being, she was a mum, she was a grandmother and she had lots of friends."
Constantinou and Ms Martin met in 2011.
She was well-known in Melbourne's sex trade industry and had about $3 million in assets.
The Crown argued that Constantinou, a chronic gambler and father of one daughter, may have killed Ms Martin to avoid paying back a debt.
But Justice Priest said he couldn't determine what actually motivated the man to attack the kind, funny and beloved 65-year-old.
He said Ms Martin was likely strangled from behind with a rope before Constantinou showed "almost unfathomable callousness" by selling her jewellery and disposing of her body.
Ms Martin's daughter, Pauline Marchese, said outside court that her mother didn't deserve such a horrific end but at least justice had now been served.
"Mum, you can now rest in peace."
