David Bagster to stand trial over death of Valmai Birch
David Bagster, the former boyfriend of Valmai Birch, will stand trial in the NSW District Court charged with manslaughter. Ms Birch’s body was allegedly found hogtied and decomposing in a wheelie bin inside her Woonona apartment in 2011.
Illawarra Star
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An Illawarra man charged over the death of his girlfriend, who was allegedly found hogtied and stuffed in a household wheelie bin in 2011, is set to face trial in the NSW District Court.
David Bagster, 52, was arrested at his Kiama home and charged with manslaughter late last year, nine years after Valmai Jane Birch’s remains were found upside down and decomposing in a wheelie bin inside her Woonona apartment.
Bagster briefly faced Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday via audiovisual link, where he was committed to stand trial on the charge after denying the allegations.
Ms Birch’s body was found on March 22, 2011 after residents in the Woods Ave building reported a ”foul” odour coming from her unit.
The 34-year-old’s body was found in the wheelie bin inside the bathroom of her apartment more than 10 days after she was last seen.
A subsequent post mortem was unable to reveal the cause of her death, however it has since been treated as suspicious.
In 2014 police launched an appeal for information about Ms Birch’s last movements, which investigators hoped would prompt the memories of anyone who may have seen her in the weeks before her death.
In 2019, investigators from Strike Force Gareth requested the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions review evidence, prompting Bagster’s arrest.
The 52-year-old, who has denied the allegations, will remain on remand custody until he returns to court later this month.