Woonona: David Bagster to face trial over death of Valmai Birch
A man will face trial next year over the 2011 death of Valmai Birch, who was allegedly found hogtied and stuffed upside down in a household wheelie bin.
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, will face trial in the NSW District Court next February.
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 was arraigned in the NSW District Court at Wollongong on Tuesday, where he formally pleaded not guilty to a charge of manslaughter.
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 memory 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.
During the trial, which is expected to last six weeks, the Crown will allege that sometime between March 8 and March 22, 2011, Bagster did unlawfully kill Valmai Birch.
The 52-year-old, will remain on remand in custody until his next appearance before the court.