DV victim raped, ‘beaten from pillar to post’ before fatally stabbing partner

A Queensland woman beaten, sexually abused and raped by her partner feared he was about the repeat the cycle of abuse yet again so she stabbed him with the intent on stopping him. It proved fatal.

Gwenda Lee Brown (in pink and purple top) leaves Rockhampton courthouse with supporters after receiving a suspended prison term for manslaughter. She fatally stabbed her partner, Bevan Watson, at their Blackwater home in 2018.

A woman “beaten from pillar to post”, sexually abused and raped by her partner feared he was about the repeat the cycle of abuse yet again, so she stabbed him with the intent on stopping him. It proved deadly.

Bevan John Watson, 43, died on March 9, 2018, at Blackwater after being stabbed twice in the groin – one cutting the femoral artery. He bled to death in a matter of minutes.

His defacto partner Gwenda Lee Brown, 50, was sentenced today in the Supreme Court in Rockhampton to five years prison, wholly suspended and operational for five years after pleading to manslaughter and having served three years and nine months on remand.

The court heard Brown and Mr Watson’s “dysfunctional” relationship was marred by chronic alcohol abuse, accusations of infidelity, physical abuse, sexual abuse and verbal abuse.

According to Australian Bureau of Statistics from a National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey in 2014-15, 10 per cent of First Nations women aged over 15 experienced family and domestic violence with about 43 per cent women who were physically injured visited a health professional for their injuries and 60 per cent reported the incident to police.

About 53 per cent reported alcohol (by itself or with other substances) was a contributing factor.

Defence barrister Andrew Hoare said his client was “physically scared” of Mr Watson.

FORCED TO WATCH PORN, CARRY OUT SEXUAL ACTS

He said Mr Watson would get jealous, accuse her of infidelity, force her to watch porn with him, for her to carry out sexual acts and, on occasion, rape her.

Mr Hoare said Brown’s mother says her daughter had been “beaten from pillar to post” by three partners over the years, and neighbours had provided statements to police stating they witness the domestic violence between the pair.

Defence barrister Andrew Hoare leaves Rockhampton court with Legal Aid lawyer Scheryn Aspinall-Clarke after representing Gwenda Lee Brown who committed manslaughter.

He said one of those occasions was when Brown told Mr Watson she loved him and he responded by punching her in the head.

On another occasion, Mr Watson threw a curtain rod at Brown, hitting her in the head.

Even witnesses stepping in to stop Mr Watson from assaulting Brown was not an deterrent with Mr Watson throwing a ceramic mug at the head of one woman who came to Brown’s aid.

WATSON CONVICTED OF VERY SERIOUS ASSAULT

The court heard Mr Watson’s criminal record, where domestic violence offences were recorded starting in 1993, contained a conviction for a “very, very serious assault” on a prior partner and he had served time in prison for assaulting his previous partner.

Justice Graeme Crow said he accepted, based on the material before the court, that Brown had been “conditioned” to grab for a knife when distressed or fear due to gross domestic violence and alcohol abuse she had experienced while in relationships with three abusive men.

The court heard Brown ‘s father was a violent ‘heavy drinker’ who left the family when she was 11 or 12.

The court heard Brown had grabbed a knife on several occasions since 2016 and threatened Mr Watson, even running after him down the street on one occasion.

This came after Mr Watson dumped a glass of wine over Brown as she sat on a toilet and accused her of infidelity.

STABBED AS HE SAT ON THE COUCH AFTER FOOTBALL

Brown and Mr Watson, who had the liver disease Cirrhosis, had visitors over to watch football together and drink alcohol the night before the fatal stabbing.

Sometime after the visitors left about 7pm, Brown stabbed Mr Watson as he sat on the couch, changed his clothes, placed a bandaid over one of the wounds and put him in their bed.

She then cleaned up the house, turning the couch seat cushions over and wiping up blood in the bathroom before going to bed herself.

The next morning, she tried to wake Mr Watson up but he did not respond.

A visitor, who had come back to check on Mr Watson as he had been sick recently, found Brown outside on the front veranda, looking shocked.

The visitor entered the house and found Mr Watson on his back, in bed, with a blanket covering him.

After failing to find a pulse, the visitor ran next door and called emergency services.

“Investigations revealed that beneath the shorts Mr Watson was wearing, there were two penetrating stab wounds to his groin, one of which was covered in a bloodstained bandaid,” Justice Crow said.

Justice Graeme Crow: large amounts of blood. FILE PICTURE: Annette Dew

“There was otherwise large amounts of blood on the mattress he was on as well as the couch in the living room.

“With the blood on the couch, it was only discovered when the seat cushions were turned over.

“Luminol testing also revealed parts of the house – the corridor and the bathroom – that had blood that wasn’t apparent to the naked eye.”

He said evidence, such as there being no defensive wounds, indicated Mr Watson either wasn’t able “to defend himself or didn’t think he needed to”.

WHY IT’S TAKEN FIVE YEARS FOR BROWN TO BE SENTENCED

The court heard Brown was assessed by multiple psychiatrists afterwards with Justice Crow commenting the reports provided to the court from the professionals, along with statements from first responders, police and others showed conflicting versions provided by Brown and conflicting mental health diagnoses.

He said the common diagnosis was alcohol abuse disorder and two of three stating Brown might have post traumatic stress disorder.

She was also found to have symptoms of dense amnesia which is an inability to recall the recent past or form new memories.

The assessments, which take months to compile after multiple sessions with a client, were part of an application to Queensland’s Mental Health Court which found Brown fit for trial.

Brown did give evidence in a mistrial in February in 2021 where, according Justice Crow comments during sentencing, Brown was “uncommunicative despite best efforts to get some information about what occurred”.

Justice Crow said the version Brown provided to her lawyers for the sentencing were provided in a less stressful environment.

EVIDENCE OF SMASHED PHONE AT THE SCENE

The court heard Brown told her lawyers that she and Mr Watson had argued and Mr Watson became jealous, saying she had been unfaithful to him.

She said he smashed her phone the night before and she was scared.

Brown said Mr Watson had raised his fists and they argued.

She said she didn’t recall grabbing the knife but she did inflict the cuts and then he stopped.

Justice Crow said he accepted Brown’s version of events given alcohol, arguing, jealousy, sexual and physical abuse were common in the relationship, and there was evidence of smashed phones found at the scene.

MUM OF SIX’S EFFORTS AT REHABILITATION

Crown prosecutor Joshua Phillips said Brown’s three years and nine months on remand was more than the one third required for someone who has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received a sentence of nine years, according to comparative cases.

Brown had also spent one year and eight months on bail in the lead up to the sentencing.

Mr Phillips said Brown “clearly” needs supervision in the community, evident by her breaching a bail condition of no alcohol consumption at least once.

Mr Hoare explained at a family member had died and she was unable to attend the funeral, and when she has relapsed, she did re-engage with services.

Justice Crow raised concerns about handing Brown a nine-year prison term as it would require her to go back into custody and apply for parole; and she had already served more than required for such a sentence.

In fact, Justice Crow said he was concerned about all the sentencing options available to him due to the time Brown had already spent in custody and her need for supervision in the community.

The Rockhampton-born mother of six and grandmother to 13 children struggled with reading and writing but had managed to successfully complete certificates in hairdressing and woodwork while in custody and worked in the kitchen.

Justice Crow said with her rehabilitation efforts and courses completed in custody, Brown “perhaps for the first time in her life, is in a position where she is employable”.

He ultimately sentenced Brown to five years prison, wholly suspended and operational for five years, taking into account the presentence custody and time on bail under strict supervision.