A killer who threw his housemate's body into a bin and refused to face his victim's family in court will spend a decade behind bars.

English teacher Annette Brennan's cause of death could not be found, because her remains were so badly mutilated when she was found at a tip in Melbourne's north, in July 2024.

The man she had let move into her home four weeks earlier, Stephen Fleming, had killed the 67-year-old woman, put her in a bin and swapped bins with a neighbour.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday. He will need to serve just seven years before he can apply for release on parole.

Fleming pleaded guilty to manslaughter weeks before his Victorian Supreme Court trial was due to begin.

The 48-year-old refused to face his victim's family and friends in court at his pre-s

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