Daniel James Sharpe (insert) was sentenced for manslaughter in NSW before he used knuckledusters to bash a man in Civic on 11 October 2025 (main picture). Photos: ACT Courts/Supplied.
A killer who stabbed a man to death in Batemans Bay had been released from jail on parole when he was filmed using knuckledusters in a late-night Canberra bashing.
Earlier this month, Daniel James Sharpe was handed a jail sentence over this ACT assault. He will return to custody in NSW at the end of this sentence as it is understood his parole relating to his manslaughter charge has now been cancelled.
He was 18 when he killed 29-year-old Andrew Drake by stabbing him 11 times at Surfside, which is north of the Bay, in April 2019.
Sharpe claimed he acted in self-defence and was protecting his father, after his father and Mr Drake got into a fight. He was ultimately found guilty of manslaughter but acquitted of murder.
He was sentenced to over seven years’ jail with a nearly five-year non-parole period, meaning he could be released in October 2024. It was then revealed he had threatened a neighbour with a knife shortly before he stabbed Mr Drake.
After he was granted parole, he went to a home in Belconnen in August 2025 and asked to speak to someone while he had a small hatchet hooked in his belt, the ACT Magistrates Court heard.
Then on 11 October 2025, a security camera filmed several men shoving each other in Verity Lane, Civic, before Sharpe grabbed one of them and repeatedly punched this man around the head.
Police quickly ran into the lane and separated them. Sharpe resisted and repeatedly swore at police when they tried to arrest him. When they did, they found he had a small quantity of cocaine.
“F-k you, you dog,” Sharpe told an officer when they asked for his name.
The man who was punched was left bleeding from a 5 cm cut to his head, while one officer sustained cuts to their leg during the arrest.
The footage of the assault was played to the Magistrates Court where it was heard Sharpe had been wearing metal knuckledusters while unleashing his punches.
The now-25-year-old was found guilty of possessing a weapon with intent over the August incident and pleaded guilty to charges including assault over the October bashing before he was sentenced.
Andrew Drake was remembered as a much-loved family man. Photo: Lucy Wessell.
Sam Collett of Legal Aid said his client was a young man with mental health concerns who had already spent an onerous period in NSW custody.
He said his client was moved around prison facilities before ending up on the NSW South Coast during the Black Summer bushfires where inmates were given gas masks and told they would not be evacuated.
Magistrate James Lawton said Sharpe expressed remorse and had mental health issues that were exacerbated by the use of illicit substances.
He was sentenced to a total of one year and nine months’ jail with a nine-month non-parole period backdated to account for time served. This means he will be eligible for release in June 2026.
But the court also heard his parole had been cancelled, which likely means he will return to custody in NSW when he is released in the ACT.
Sharpe was seen trying to hug his mother after he was sentenced, but was stopped by a Corrective Services officer and led out of the courtroom.
Andrew Drake’s sisters, Lucy Wessell and Penny Drake, attended court during the sentencing process.
“The level of violence Daniel used to take our brother’s life will never escape us, nor will the fear of him taking another beautiful life,” Lucy told Region after sentencing was complete.
“We were unsurprised to hear of Daniel’s reoffending, or the level of violence used again by him, and the re-occurring pattern of using weapons. And while we are grateful there were no fatalities this time, we fear the worst for his release.”
Penny said she and her sister watched the footage of Sharpe’s knuckleduster assault in Civic, and it was deeply confronting to see how quickly he lost his temper and turned to violence.
“It is frightening to see someone who has shown such extreme violence before continue to harm others,” she said.
“Our family firmly believes he is not safe to be in the community, and we are deeply sorry that yet another person has been hurt.”
Original Article published by Albert McKnight on Region Canberra.
What a fantastic acheivement, especially these days! Bob and his crew need special congratulations!… View