James Scott Church to face murder trial over death of Wallarah’s Leisl Smith
Leisl Smith was last seen leaving her Central Coast home more than seven years ago, with her body never found. Now a man will face a trial charged with her murder.
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Seven years and three months to the day that Leisl Smith, 23, was last seen leaving her Wallarah home a man has been committed to stand trial for her murder.
Wearing a dark suit and white shirt James Scott Church appeared at Wyong Local Court on Tuesday where he was committed to the Sydney Supreme Court on February 7 to stand trial on one count of murder.
Ms Smith was last seen about 1pm on August 19, 2012, leaving her Wallarah home.
Her car was found abandoned at Tuggerah Railway Station car park on September 26, 2012. A CCTV camera captured Ms Smith parking her Honda Accord at the station, locking it, and walking away without boarding a train on the day she disappeared.
The footage also reportedly showed her getting into a white ute before it was driven away.
Mr Church was interviewed by detectives in April 2013 over her disappearance and his Wallarah property was searched along with four others linked to him.
Ms Smith’s body has never been found.
Detectives from Strike Force Wehl, established to investigate her whereabouts, have always treated her disappearance as suspicious because there have been no confirmed sightings of Ms Smith, and her bank accounts have not been touched since she vanished.
Police arrested Mr Church, of Bingarra, after pulling him over on the Gwydir Highway in October last year before he was charged with Ms Smith’s murder at Inverell Police Station.
On Tuesday Mr Conditsis successfully sought to vary Mr Church’s bail conditions so he did not have to report to police on the days he was required at court because he could not “physically” attend Wyong or Sydney and still abide by his curfew.
The trial is expected to take several weeks.