He was an outsider who refused to abide by social norms and conventions.

His criminal convictions were many and varied – evidence that society’s expectations simply weren’t for him.

So, it was little wonder Farrow failed to follow the rules he set for himself when he began planning what would later become the violent murder of his drug dealer, Linda Stevens, in her Wollongong flat one morning in April 2013.

‘‘Be THOROUGH, Be METHODICAL, and most of all Be CAREFUL,’’ Farrow wrote in a notebook while sitting in the Port Kembla halfway house he called home in the weeks before the killing.

But Farrow wasn’t thorough, methodical or careful; in fact, police had him fingered as the killer in a matter of hours, such was the trail he left behind. 

However, there turned out to be far more to Farrow’s apparent lapse of concentration as detectives dug deeper, with plenty of evidence pointing to the 41-year-old being more of an unstable individual than wanton killer.

That theory was later cemented in reality, with psychiatrists who assessed Farrow after his arrest finding he was delusional, paranoid and suffering from drug-induced psychoses when he repeatedly plunged a knife into Ms Stevens’ body on the morning of April 11, severing major arteries in her neck and piercing her internal organs.

He then bundled her body in bed sheets and placed it in the boot of her own car, which he later drove erratically through several Wollongong suburbs before dumping it at Corrimal.

Several witnesses  reported Farrow’s driving to police, prompting them to discover the vehicle and make some initial inquiries.

However, it wasn’t until a second inspection was carried out on the vehicle later that evening that Ms Stevens’ body was found.

Farrow was arrested six days later after a stand-off with police at Kembla Grange.

He readily admitted to the crime in a subsequent interview with police, despite not being able to remember any details about it.

In court, he pleaded not guilty on the grounds of mental illness, but was found guilty after Justice Stephen Rothman said evidence pointed to Farrow being aware of what he’d done, and knowing it was wrong.

However, Justice Rothman still accepted that Farrow had significant mental health problems – so much so, that they needed to be carefully considered when handing down his sentence.

‘‘The fact that the defence of mental illness has not been proved does not render the offender’s mental state irrelevant to [his] sentencing,’’ Justice Rothman said.

‘‘The subjective circumstances of the offender ... require a degree of leniency and a more prolonged period of supervision in the community to ensure that any rehabilitation that may occur in prison is given effect.’’

He sentenced Farrow to 22 years’ jail, setting a non-parole period of 15 years.

With time already served, Farrow will be eligible to apply for parole in 2028.