Convicted murderer Peter Rex Dansie sued for unpaid bills on property co-owned with his wife, Helen, whom he drowned

He murdered his wife to control her wealth, but now two companies say Peter Rex Dansie won’t pay the bills on the property he killed for.

A greed-fuelled murderer who drowned his wife to claim her half of their combined estate is being sued from his prison cell – for failing to pay his $24,000 landscaping bill.

Peter Rex Dansie, who is serving a life sentence, is being sued by North Coast Angus Beef Pty Ltd and Bumble Bee Pastoral Pty Ltd in the Christies Beach Magistrates Court.

They assert they have not been paid for tending a 400ha property at Padthaway, in the South East, that Dansie and his wife Helen owned – and which was among his motivations for her murder.

On Friday, the couple’s son Grant – who dubbed his father a “petty little fat man” after the trial – said the lawsuits were “not surprising”.

Convicted murderer Peter Rex Dansie. Picture: Kelly Barnes

“It shows his lack of respect for Mum in death as in life, prioritising his money over everything else,” he said.

He said Dansie’s ongoing attempts to claim his mother’s estate meant he was unaware of the claims, and that the estate itself had played no role in managing the property.

“The estate process has been continuing on for years as Peter Dansie has tried to delay the process and withhold documents as long as possible,” he said.

Following two trials – one of which had to be aborted – Dansie, 74, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a 25-year non-parole period.

The Supreme Court found he drowned Mrs Dansie, who used a wheelchair, in a Veale Gardens pond because he considered her a financial burden.

It ruled the murder, which followed years of neglect and abuse, was also motivated by his obsession with controlling the couple’s assets and desire to pursue Chinese women for sex.

Dansie has appealed against his conviction.

Helen Dansie, who used a wheelchair, was murdered by her husband. Picture: Supplied by family

Grant Dansie outside court following the trial. Picture: Kelly Barnes

In their court papers, North Angus Beef and Bumble Bee Pastoral assert they undertook a combined 287 hours of work, spanning 654km, for Dansie between 2013 and 2014.

They said they cut and stacked timber, removed logs, stumps and rocks, and pruned hundreds of pine trees but, despite issuing invoices, were never paid.

In his defence papers, Dansie insists he is the executor of Mrs Dansie’s estate and is “defending this claim” on its behalf.

However, he denies any money is owed to the two companies, saying he is “not aware nor familiar with any such action and obligation”.

The case returns to court later this year.

On Friday, Grant Dansie said it had been “difficult to get information” about the family’s properties, including their one-time home at Waterfall Gully.

“The Waterfall Gully house looks like it is completely falling apart and dilapidated with part of the roof collapsing,” he said.