Sister of Beverley Hanley, Cheryl McGee gives evidence in Steven Hainsworth murder trial
A woman sobbed in court as she relived finding her sister’s murdered body on the ground after she was allegedly viciously attacked with a bat.
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A woman found her older sister’s body “cold and blue” and her head gaping after she was allegedly viciously murdered with a bat, a court has heard.
Steven Leslie Hainsworth is standing trial in the Supreme Court for the alleged murders of his aunt, Beverley Hanley, as well as pensioners, Phyllis Harrison and Stephen Newton.
On Monday, Ms Hanley’s neighbour at the time, Leonard D’Agostino told the court he heard the alleged murder on October 6, 2011 while he was sitting in his backyard having a cup of coffee.
He told the court he overhead a conversation that “got a bit nasty”, with Mrs Hanley saying to someone “What are you doing here? Why have you jumped my fence? What do you want?”
Mr D’Agostino said it sounded like Mrs Hanley knew the person she was having the conversation with before he heard “a whack, a thud or a hit”.
“If she screamed I’m not too sure,” he said.
“It’s a terrifying thing to hear someone get whacked over the head with a baseball bat, I assume it was that.”
The court heard he went to check on Mrs Hanley about ten minutes later but the place was deserted.
Mrs Hanley’s younger sister, Cheryl McGee told the court she was dropping off tomato sauce to her sister mid afternoon when she found the fly door and main door unlocked.
Ms McGee said when she went inside she found the bedrooms a mess – with cupboard and wardrobe doors open and items strewn everywhere.
She said this which was very unusual as Mrs Hanley kept her house immaculate.
“There was never anything out of place,” she said.
Ms McGee said she looked in multiple rooms before going into the dining room and looking down the hallway.
“Then I could see Bev’s feet,” she said sobbing.
“There was a heap of blood and her head was all gaping.”
Ms McGee said she felt Mrs Hanley to see if she was still breathing and was told by ambulance on the phone to perform CPR on her.
“She was just so cold, she was just laying there, she was all blue,” she said.
The court heard Mrs Hanley kept a cricket bat by her front door for protection.
Prosecutor Amelia Cairney said Ms Hanley died from both blunt force trauma and incisions to her neck that cut her carotid artery and jugular.
A bloody cricket bat was found near her body, she said, along with bloody footprints.
Ms Cairney said Mr Hainsworth’s associates would give evidence they had spent time together that morning trying to buy drugs, and that he had mentioned “wanting to steal a lawnmower”.
“The accused was a regular user of drugs who resorted to theft to fund his habit,” she said.
Ms Cairney said Mrs Hanley’s home had been ransacked and that, notably, her digital camera and three-ring jewellery set “with missing stones” were taken.
That camera was later recovered at a local pawn shop, having been pawned by one of Mr
Hainsworth’s associates at his request, the court was told.
Mr Hainsworth, 49, of Mildura in Victoria, pleaded not guilty to murdering Mrs Hanley.
He also pleaded not guilty to murdering Mrs Harrison, 71, on March 3, 1998 and invalid pensioner Mr Newton, sometime prior to the discovery of his body on November 4, 2011.
The trio died years apart and as much as 450km from one another, but it is alleged Mr Hainsworth is responsible for all three crimes.
The trial continues.
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