Rohen James Hanson on trial for the murder of Dee Annear at remote bush hut in Bulga
A jury has heard claims of a “volatile” relationship a young woman allegedly endured at the hands on her boyfriend before her body was found near a remote bush hut on the NSW Mid-North Coast.
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A jury has heard claims that a young woman endured an abusive and “volatile” relationship at the hands of her boyfriend and accused killer before her body was found near a remote bush hut on the NSW Mid-North Coast.
Rohen James Hanson was charged with murder after emergency services found his then-partner Dee Annear outside Pole Dump Hut in the Bulga Forest on September 18, 2021.
On trial in Newcastle’s Supreme Court, Hanson has pleaded not guilty to murdering her in a violent argument at the remote bush hut.
On Tuesday, a number of witnesses gave evidence about the couple’s alleged turbulent relationship before her death and the excessive drinking from both.
Mother Carolyn Butt told the jury she had lived with the couple at her daughter’s Wingham home for a period of time and they were always “fighting a lot”.
On one occasion she recounted having to pull Hanson off her daughter while he was on top of her and punching her in the head.
Defence barrister Peter Krisenthal suggested due to her own intoxication that day she was unable to recount it correctly and said after the couple had argued, Ms Annear actually bit him on the leg, and he was not in-fact punching her.
Another time when Ms Butt and her partner Dean Thiel where camping with the couple in Tuncurry, the jury heard they were again arguing and Hanson walked up to the woman and headbutted her directly in the face, causing her to fall off her chair.
Mr Thiel, who also gave evidence said he had to bear hug Hanson to get him to stop.
“I told him he couldn’t be doing that,” he said.
“(her) Face was pretty puffed up and done a bit of damage to her face, it wasn’t a good situation.”
The jury also heard from neighbour Janelle Reynolds, who lived across the road from Ms Annear, about an incident which she claimed turned ugly just months before her death.
She said she was at their house and both were drunk, describing Ms Annear as “sloppy” drunk, before they started bickering constantly.
“I started to feel uncomfortable,” she said to Crown Prosecutor Carl Young as he questioned her about what happened.
She recounted Ms Annear being pushed “full force” by Hanson into the coffee table and knocking over a glass which smashed and cut her face.
“I rushed to kitchen and got a tea-towel as it was bleeding, telling her it would be ok,” she said.
She said Hanson started calling her names and blaming her before the pair went to the bedroom and the fighting continued.
Ms Reynolds told the jury Hanson also stomped on her head while in the lounge room three to four times before he picked her up with one hand and started punching her with the other in the face.
“I was in shock. I was really traumatised,” she sobbed.
Mr Krisenthal quizzed Ms Reynolds about why she didn’t do anything about his actions or call the police and suggested because it didn’t happen.
“No,” she instantly replied.
He also claimed that after a car accident in 2014, Ms Annear’s attitude towards life changed and statements from her own mother indicated she started drinking and partying more and “hated the world”.
On Tuesday Captain of the RFS Bulga brigade Robert Cowley also gave evidence as it was his crew who found Ms Annear’s body when they received a call for help.
He said as they approached the loggers hut, a “quite agitated” Hanson waved them down and said something like, “it’s no good, she’s dead” before one of them checked for a pulse.
Mr Cowley said he was told the pair had been in a car crash and had a fight before she left to light a fire, but hours later when he met back up with her he couldn’t get a response despite efforts to revive her.
The trial continues.
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