Wife-killer Peter Rex Dansie urges court to unfreeze his assets, says he will challenge his conviction in the High Court of Australia

A greed-driven murderer who drowned his disabled wife wants his fortune back, saying moves to take it from him amount to double punishment.

Convicted wife-killer Peter Rex Dansie wants his half of the family fortune returned immediately, telling a court the money cannot be considered a proceed of his crime.

The Supreme Court has also heard Dansie intends to challenge his conviction – for drowning his disabled wife, Helen, in a city pond – in the High Court of Australia.

Dansie is already being sued by his son, Grant, to prevent the “obsessive” murderer using Helen’s personal estate – and her half of the fortune – for his own benefit.

Now the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has entered the dispute, seeking to claim Dansie’s personal equity under criminal assets confiscation laws.

The DPP says that, because Dansie murdered Helen for becoming “a financial burden”, he does not deserve to keep any assets of their marriage.

Peter Rex Dansie during his trial. Picture: Kelly Barnes.

Last week, Scott Jelbert, for Dansie, told the court that would amount to punishing his client twice for the drowning.

He said all money accrued by Dansie prior to Helen’s death remained his “lawful, legal assets” and should not be stripped from him.

“My client seeks for a certain amount of the combined assets to be unrestrained and recovered,” he said.

“He is not going to have any more of those assets than what would have been due to him but for this serious alleged offence.

“If this is released to him, whatever is left forms part of the deceased wife’s estate … that remainder is then the subject of Grant Dansie’s lawsuit.”

Helen Dansie. Picture: Supplied.

Grant Dansie. Picture: Kelly Barnes.

Dansie, 72, is serving a life sentence with a 25-year non-parole period for his 2017 crime which, despite a failed appeal, he maintains was an accident.

His criminal trial heard that, prior to the murder, Dansie had feuded with Grant over Helen’s care and consigned her to a dementia ward, even though she did not have the condition.

Multiple witnesses gave evidence that Dansie considered Helen’s finances to be “his money” and was not prepared to spend it to improve her lifestyle.

Grant – executor of his mother’s will – has sued for control of two freehold rural properties in the South East, the family home at Waterfall Gully and Helen’s personal possessions.

Last week, Oliver Klotz, for the DPP, said the confiscation claim could not be resolved until after the High Court had heard Dansie’s appeal.

Judge Katrina Bochner ordered counsel for both men and the DPP to confer, and hand over any relevant documents in their separate cases, ahead of a further hearing next month.