Anthony Stott death: Farmer denies hitting tied-up teacher with golf club

Two witnesses called to give evidence on to the bizarre death of a Brisbane private school teacher, who was allegedly kidnapped and tied up for hours, have offered differing responses to questions about the use of a golf club during the incident.

A farmer who kidnapped Brisbane private school teacher Anthony Stott says he never saw him being hit with a golf club while tied to a chair in his shed.

But another man has told a court that the farmer’s girlfriend had admitted to striking Stott with the club in the hours before he was run down and killed by a semi-trailer on the M1.

The woman, Lauren Grainger, has pleaded not guilty to the specially aggravated kidnapping of Stott, who died in bizarre circumstances on February 10, 2020.

The respected St Peters Lutheran College teacher, 43, was hit by the truck after he was held captive at the Cudgera Creek farm in northern NSW for several hours.

A photo of a mobile phone screen showing St Peter's teacher Anthony Stott tied to a chair.

It followed a mysterious mid-air meltdown on a flight from Sydney to Brisbane the previous day – during which he masturbated and yelled obscenities – as well as a late-night, high-speed drive from Brisbane which ended with him skidding off the M1 in his BMW and abandoning it.

He then wandered onto the remote farm about 3.30am where he was tied to a plastic chair and allegedly hit with the golf club as his captors demanded to know “why the f. k he was there”, Lismore District Court has heard.

Anthony Stott at Brisbane Airport. Picture: NSW Police

The farmer, Mark Frost, and his friend Craig Button pleaded guilty earlier this year to the kidnapping and received reduced sentences in return for testifying against Grainger.

Grainger’s lawyers have suggested at her trial that she was acting in self-defence.

Frost told the court on Thursday that Grainger, who is now his ex, was not in the shed at all times during the “interrogation” of Stott.

He said he did not see Grainger hit Stott or the chair which the court heard was broken.

But a friend of the-then couple, Robert “Jockey Bob” Worgan, told the court Grainger rang him about 4.30am to tell him they had an intruder in the house and that she had hit him with a golf club.

Mark Frost. Picture: Brendan Beirne/MEDIA MODE

The court heard that a “hysterical” Grainger also rang friend Sharnee Windley about the intruder, texted her a photo of Stott tied to the chair and later brought her back to the farm to see the man for herself.

Windley told the court she first walked into the shed, she thought Stott had no arms because they were bound behind his back.

The property where Anthony Stott was allegedly detained. Photo: Scott Powick

She said Stott was “very quiet” but told her his name was “Tony” and asked her to call his sister Daniella, saying she had dropped him at the property to rob it.

Daniella did not answer but rang back the next day and said her brother was dead.

Windley said when she told Daniella what Stott had said about her dropping him at the farm to rob it, Daniella said: “That’s not right. He has psychosis. Mum’s been worried, he (Stott) hasn’t been to work.”

Windley told the court Worgan had warned “that’s jail time” after he arrived at the farm while Stott was still tied to the chair.

She said Frost told Stott “we”re going to let you go, mate … don’t come back” and they released him.

“He just stretched a bit and walked towards the highway,” Windley told the court.

Soon after, Grainger told her that she had heard a “bang” and believed Stott had been hit by a car.

Windley drove down and saw Stott laying beside the highway, the court heard.