Woodchipper murder accused’s ‘premonition’ weeks before death

A woman charged with the murder of her ex-partner told another former de facto she had a premonition of a “terrible accident”, a court has heard.

Accused Sharon Graham

A woman accused of murdering Bruce Saunders said in the weeks before his death that somebody was going to get hurt clearing land in an accident, a court has head.

Barry Collins claimed his former de facto Sharon Graham told him about her premonition several weeks before her ex-partner Mr Saunders was killed.

“We’re just chatting out on the back veranda and she said ‘I had a premonition there’s going to be a terrible accident and somebody’s going to get hurt,’,” he said in Brisbane Supreme Court.

Mr Collins claimed she said it would happen when there was some land being cleared.

But Graham’s barrister Peter Richards suggested Mr Collins, a convicted drug trafficker, only gave a statement to police implicating his client so he could get a reduction in his sentence after he was found with 47kg of cannabis in NSW.

The court heard he ultimately received a 50 per cent reduction in his sentence in 2019 for pleading guilty and his assistance to police, including in this case.

Blake Saunders, son of victim Bruce Saunders, leaving Brisbane Supreme Court. Picture: Liam Kidston

“You well and truly knew that if you could implicate Ms Graham somehow in the murder of Bruce Saunders you would get a discount on your sentence,” Mr Richards said.

Mr Collins denied this.

The court heard he had previously said Graham was an “honest, timid person” who he could not believe was in any way involved.

Mr Collins told the court that on a boat trip north of Brisbane in the months before Mr Saunders death Graham had said “you could take somebody out and they not come back”.

“I said to her don’t be f***ing stupid. I don’t want people coming after them,” he said.

Police allege Graham persuaded her then partner Gregory Lee Roser to murder Mr Saunders.

Roser is alleged to have hit him over the head with a metal bar at a property near Gympie where they’d been clearing trees for a widow in November 2017.

Police allege Roser and another man then placed Mr Saunders’ dead body into a woodchipper at the Goomboorian property.

Bernadette Rogers estranged wife of Bruce Saunders, leaving Brisbane Supreme Court. Picture: Liam Kidston

Graham and Roser have pleaded not guilty to murder.

Witness Joan Balfour, who lived in the same caravan park as Roser, said he had told her his girlfriend “wanted to get rid of her partner”.

“She wanted Greg to shoot her partner,” she said.

“But I advised him not to do that, obviously.”

Mr Saunders’ only child Blake gave evidence that when he lived with Graham in Toowoomba she had been quite nasty to him and his father.

Blake said his father had very high safety standards when using tools.

Mr Saunders’ estranged wife Bernadette Rogers said even though they’d split up they had remained friends.

“He was sensitive, loving, very generous, would do anything for anyone … once you’re in Bruce’s life you’re in Bruce’s life for good.”

The trial continues on Tuesday.

Victim Bruce Saunders