SA Police charge husband of Helen Dansie — who was found dead in a Veale Gardens pond in April — with her murder
THE man accused of murdering his wheelchair-bound wife in an Adelaide parklands pond did so in a “planned, premeditated attack”, a court has heard, and took a change of clothes to the scene that night.
THE ashes of Adelaide woman Helen Dansie were found by police in the back of her husband’s car “covered in general rubbish” when he was arrested and charged with her murder, a court has heard.
On Tuesday, Peter Rex Dansie, 68, was denied bail after appearing in the Adelaide Magistrates Court charged with murdering his wheelchair-bound wife by drowning her in a pond at Veale Gardens on Easter Sunday this year.
He was arrested by Major Crime detectives on Tuesday morning at his Burnside home and plans to defend the charges.
During the bail application, prosecutor Sarah Attar told Magistrate Brett Dixon that Dansie executed a “planned, premeditated attack” against his wife.
She said Mrs Dansie had suffered a stroke in 1995 and was wheelchair-bound, but had “full use” of her upper body.
CCTV footage from the day she died showed she had the strength to stand, get into a car and put on her seatbelt, the court heard.
“She had upper body strength ... and the pond was 1.1m at its deepest,” she said.
“He told the 000 call that he had been unable to help her in the pond because she was too heavy.”
But she said police had done an re-enactment and found it would have been easy to flip Mrs Dansie over.
“He also said he couldn’t stay in there because it was bloody deep and freezing ... and (water) was up to his neck,” she said.
But she said the pond was not that deep.
“Today when police arrested him, they located her ashes in a vessel in the back of his car covered in general rubbish,” she said.
“It shows the disregard he had for her life.
“Ultimately, the prosecution case will be that it was a planned, premeditated attack.”
Ms Attar added that Dansie had taken a spare change of clothes to the pond, left his watch in his car and placed his wallet and phone at the base of a tree before getting into the water to try to save her.
Opposing bail, she feared Dansie — who has surrendered his passport — would be a flight risk given he has extensive ties in China.
Defence lawyer Pat Amey told the court his client was not a flight risk because he had business ties in the South-East and could stay with his sister.
He said Dansie also had extensive health problems, including diabetes, that would be hard to manage in custody.
“He will be pleading not guilty to the charge,” he said.
But Mr Dixon said the charge was too serious to release Dansie and he did not have special circumstances to overcome the presumption against bail.
He also said the risk he would abscond was too great given he had a girlfriend in China and had visited the Asian country 23 times in the past 10 years.
Outside court, Dansie’s sister said: “I believe he’s innocent.”
Dansie will reappear in court in September.
Inquiries in relation to the investigation are continuing.
Anyone with information that may be of assistance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online at crimestopperssa.com.au.