Annette Mason inquest hears witness tells of 15-year-old victim’s harrowing final moments before murder

A Queensland woman has told of the harrowing final moments of 15-year-old Annette Mason, saying she was told two men raped her before “bashing her head in”, followed by a spine-chilling warning from a friend.

A TOOWOOMBA woman claims 15-year-old Annette Mason faced a harrowing end, saying she was told two men raped the girl before “bashing her head in” with a fence post.

Kym Sandercock broke down while giving evidence yesterday at an inquest into the violent murder of the beloved Toowoomba teenager, saying she wanted to tell the court everything she knew about the cold-case murder.

“I want to do the best I can for Mrs Mason and so that little girl can rest,” she said.

Ms Sandercock said her housemate, Theresa Flynn, came to her crying and “hysterical” early on the morning that Annette’s body was found in November 1989.

Annette Mason's badly beaten and partly naked body was found on November 19, 1989 concealed underneath a doona in the sunroom of a house she shared with two other women.

“She said they killed her; they took it too far, they killed her. They f**king killed her,” Ms Sandercock said.

“I can’t remember whether she used Annette’s name in that conversation but as the day went on, you knew she was actually talking about this little girl.”

Ms Sandercock said Ms Flynn later told her “I’d better forget what she told me” and, “don’t tell anyone, he’ll kill you, he’ll kill me”.

She also said she was confident her previous statement to the Crime and Misconduct Commission in which she said she was told Annette was sexually assaulted before she died was correct.

Ms Sandercock said that after the death, she received a threatening phone phone call from a man named Michael Laine, who police identified as one of a number of several suspects in the case.

Witness, Theresa Flynn is seen leaving the Brisbane Coroners Court. Picture: AAP Image/Darren England

“I know what you heard, I know what you’ve been told, shut your mouth or you’ll end up the same,” Ms Sandercock said Mr Laine told her.

Ms Flynn also took the stand, telling the court that on the morning Annette died, a woman named Karen Burge called her and asked her to come to the Anzac Avenue home where she and Mr Michael Laine were living, because “something happened”.

Ms Flynn said when she arrived, Ms Burge told her she and Mr Laine had found Annette’s body on the floor of her bedroom in her house down the street and had picked her up and placed her on the bed.

Ms Flynn said she helped the other woman clear a number of items out of her “messy” car, which contained a fence paling and a single man’s shoe with blood on it.

“She was very worried about finding the second shoe,” Ms Flynn said.

The court heard Ms Burge was having “panic attacks” about the missing shoe and went down the street to near Annette’s house to look for it.

The inquest continues.