Alleged attempted murderer Thomas Stapleton-Wescott and girlfriend hired stranger to pretend to be niece to get bail, court told

An alleged attempted murderer and his girlfriend turned to the internet to ensure he’d get bail, a court has heard – via Gumtree and a stranger posing as his niece.

An alleged double attempted murderer and his girlfriend hired a complete stranger, over Gumtree, to live in a house and pretend to be his niece so he could secure home detention bail, a court has heard.

On Monday, Thomas Stapleton-Wescott sought bail over an alleged bashing that a witness compared to “a slaughterhouse”, claiming two people were left “in pools of blood”.

His counsel, Nick Vadasz, said Mr Stapleton-Wescott had secured accommodation in Salisbury and would live with his niece – a claim challenged by an SA Police prosecutor.

“We have evidence from the purported ‘niece’ who says she’s not Mr Stapleton-Wescott’s niece,” she said.

“She says she answered an ad, posted on Gumtree by Mr Stapleton-Wescott’s girlfriend, to live at the address and say she was his niece.

“She did so, but has since been spoken to by police and given a sworn statement.”

Mr Vadasz said the information in the woman’s statement was “brand new” to him, but argued it “does not say she’s not my client’s niece”.

Magistrate Simon Smart disagreed.

“She says ‘I don’t know him and have never met him before’ … that seems to indicate she’s not his niece,” he said.

Mr Stapleton-Wescott, 32, of Northfield, has yet to plead to two counts of attempted murder.

Prosecutors allege he assaulted Neil Sieben, 66, and his housemate Antoinette Macskimming, 49, at Salisbury in April.

A woman, in a signed statement to police, says she answered an ad posted on Gumtree by Mr Stapleton-Wescott’s girlfriend, to live at the address and say she was his niece.

At the time of his arrest, a neighbour said he had found Mr Sieben and Ms Macskimming unconscious and with severe injuries.

“There was that much blood on the floor it’s not funny … it was almost to the point where it was like a slaughterhouse,” he said.

“I panicked then … I had to ring the police, and they came here real quick.”

Mr Sieben and Ms Macskimming were taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital and treated for their injuries.

On Monday, Mr Vadasz said Mr Stapleton-Wescott denied any involvement in the incident.

“My client’s father lived in a caravan attached to the property, and one of the alleged victims found that my client’s father had died,” he said.

“No charges have been laid in relation to that.

“My client is one of three brothers … later that same day, two of the three brothers and their mother attended the scene.

“It’s alleged that one of the brothers returned again, later that evening, and assaulted the two alleged victims … my client says he is not the one who returned.”

The police prosecutor said Mr Stapleton-Wescott was unsuitable for bail given the seriousness of the charges and the need to ensure the safety of Mr Sieben and Ms Macskimming.

She said he could not be bailed to the Salisbury address in any event, given the woman contacted over Gumtree was not his niece.

Mr Vadasz formally withdrew Mr Stapleton-Wescott’s bail bid and said he would reapply when another address could be arranged.