Kate Malonyay murdered by compulsive liar ex-boyfriend Elliott Coulson, NSW Coroner finds

ELLIOTT Coulson — who jumped to his death from a hotel balcony as police closed in — continued sending text messages from ex-girlfriend Kate Malonyay’s phone days after he had murdered her.

Wendy Malonyay (centre, in scarf), leaves Gosford Court with family and friends of her daughter Kate Malonyay during the inquest into her death.

KATE Malonyay was killed by her ex boyfriend, an ex navy officer who was later accused of a remarkably similar attack on another former girlfriend, a Coroner has found today.

The body of the woman regarded as having “a gift for friendship” was found covered by her doona inside her Mosman apartment on April 22 last year.

The following day, her ex partner Elliott Coulson jumped from a 26th storey balcony at the Surfers Paradise Marriott as homicide police entered his room.

The airfare and accommodation had been paid for using Ms Malonyay’s credit card and her mobile phone was also found in his possession, the inquest heard.

Ms Malonyay, 32, and Coulson dated for more than a year until their relationship broke up in January 2013.

The inquest heard Ms Malonyay, described to the Coroner’s Court as an “outgoing, vivacious and much loved young woman”, became worried Coulson had hacked her email account and she planned to get the locks changed to her apartment, but a locksmith never turned up.

News_Image_File: Elliott Coulson at his Naval graduation ceremony in 2011.

It emerged Coulson had lied to her about several events in his life, including that he’d had a twin brother who died in a car accident and that his parents had booked the couple a first class trip to Hawaii.

The inquest heard Ms Malonyay’s phone continued to message friends and family after her death, with police believing Coulson was using the device to avoid her loved ones contacting police.

News_Image_File: Police finger print dust can be seen at the scene of Kate Malonyay’s murder in Mosman.

A woman who previously dated Coulson gave tendency evidence to the inquest.

“She gave an account of a relationship plagued with lies, erratic behaviour and jealousy,” Deputy State Coroner Hugh Dillon said in his findings, handed down this morning.

Magistrate Dillon said the greatest significance of the woman’s evidence was one “incident” where she detailed how Coulson grabbed her by hair, pushed her against a door frame and then pushed her down onto a mattress with both hands around her throat.

News_Image_File: This CCTV footage of Elliot Coulson withdrawing $500 from anATM the day before he killed his ex-girlfriend Kate Malonyay at her Mosman unit was tendered as evidence at the inquest into her death.

The inquest heard the injuries suffered by her were consistent with Ms Malonyay’s fatal attack.

“If Elliott Coulson killed Kate he may well have been ‘acting out of character’ but, in the face of other evidence, that does not necessarily raise a significant doubt that he was responsible,” Magistrate Dillon said.

“It is very difficult to conceive of any rational explanation for Kate’s injuries and death other than that they were inflicted by Elliott Coulson.”

“Women and other vulnerable people who are subjected to domestic violence- and the vast majority of victims are women- frequently feel oppressed and powerless and fearful,” he said.

“An AVO can, in significant measure, redress the power imbalance in an abusive relationship.”

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