34-year-old man’s brother ‘is the perpetrator’ of alleged ‘slaughterhouse’ attempted murder: Defence lawyer
A man accused of viciously attacking two housemates with an axe in a crime scene described as “like a slaughterhouse” is not-guilty, his lawyer says – claiming his client’s brother is the real perpetrator.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The identity of a man alleged to have viciously bludgeoned two middle-aged housemates with an axe on Anzac Day in 2023 has been disputed in court, with defence counsel claiming the attacker “wasn’t their client”, but was his brother instead.
Thomas Stapleton-Wescott, 34, appeared in the District Court this week in front of The Honourable Justice David Lovell in a judge alone trial charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated cause serious harm. He has pleaded not-guilty to both charges.
David Moen, for Mr Stapleton-Wescott, told the court his client was innocent, and argued his brother Beau was the actual perpetrator of the alleged offending which left victims Neil Sieben and Antoinette Macskimming fighting for life in a “pool” of their blood.
“Your Honour will see in due course a screenshot which sets in context the state of mind of Beau Stapleton-Wescott,” Mr Moen said. “We say that he is the perpetrator of the offending on that night.
“He carefully orchestrated an alibi, carefully orchestrated his movements (and) lived about two minutes away from where the location was.
“There was, your Honour will hear, an alibi that will be tested in due course.”
On Tuesday, prosecutor Melissa Wilkinson alleged the two victims were “left for dead” by the accused who was mourning the death of his father and was frustrated over a dispute in regard to his late dad’s belongings – namely a caravan which was situated in the driveway of the victim’s home and was bought in Ms Macskimming’s name.
She further alleged Beau Stapleton-Wescott had called the Elizabeth police station and asked them to do a welfare check at the victim's address following a phone call with his brother, the accused, who allegedly told him “they are in the house, they are covered in blood and they’re not moving”.
On Wednesday, Mr Moen rejected claims that his client had any involvement in the alleged attempted murder.
“At the outset, I can say this: The categories, of course, that my friend addressed – we will address each of those in our closing submissions and also during the course of cross-examination,” he said.
“Your Honour will hear about the conversations he had with Beau Stapleton and what Beau provided to him by way of a bag of items to destroy.
“The sole issue is the identity of the attacker. We say it wasn’t our client.”
The trial will continue on Monday.
More Coverage
Originally published as 34-year-old man’s brother ‘is the perpetrator’ of alleged ‘slaughterhouse’ attempted murder: Defence lawyer
In pictures: Southern Lights dazzle SA – again
Yet another stargazing spectacle has been captured over South Australia – and there’s still a chance to see it.
Innocent victim or swindler? Verdict looms over alleged $1.2m scam
A man has claimed it is equally open that he is another innocent victim in a sophisticated email scam after a high-profile federal politician was swindled of $1.2m.