Sarah Ristevski gives evidence at committal hearing
A TEARY Sarah Ristevski has told a court her parents would fight over finances and trivial things but her father was “never” aggressive towards her or her mother Karen.
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THE daughter of accused wife-killer Borce Ristevski has defended her father, saying he was “never” aggressive towards her or her mother Karen.
“He was always the calm one,” Sarah Ristevski, 23, told the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
An emotional Ms Ristevski made the comments in evidence at her father’s committal hearing, which will determine if he will stand trial for murder.
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She sat across from her dad in the courtroom, but did not once look over at him. She directed most of her responses towards magistrate Sue Cameron.
At one point she wiped away tears, telling how her parents had a fight over junk food.
Mr Ristevski, 54, who police allege killed Karen in their Avondale Heights home on the morning of June 29, 2016, showed little emotion as his daughter told how she overheard parental disputes.
“I didn’t grow up in a household where there were major arguments,” she told the court.
But she said her parents would fight “every few weeks” about finances, as her mother was concerned that sales were down at her fashion boutique Bella Bleu in Watergardens shopping centre.
“There was no Bella Bleu without my mum. It was her passion,” Ms Ristevski said. She said her dad was always the calming voice in disputes, while “mum would get annoyed quickly”.
Ms Ristevski said her mum would have mood swings and then go for a walk or a drive to calm down, but would return within hours.
“It was one of her sayings. She liked to be alone when she was upset. She’d say, ‘Sarah, I just need some time to breathe’,” Ms Ristevski said.
She got teary and paused for a moment as she recalled how her parents would fight over trivial things, such as her father being sent to the shop to buy milk but coming home with fattening foods such as a sale-price box of biscuits.
“She’d say to him, ‘What have you done?’ ” Ms Ristevski said, adding that her mother would complain that she would only end up eating them and “my thighs will get fat”.
Ms Ristevski said she last saw her mother alive, standing in the downstairs office of the house in her pyjamas, as she (Sarah) left the house on the morning of June 26, 2016. She had told police her mother had been “pretty bubbly”.
Asked by her father’s lawyer, David Hallowes, SC, if her dad appeared distressed, cold or unemotional during the days after her mum went missing, Ms Ristevski said: “He was very concerned about where my mum was.”
She added: “He was extremely worried. People who actually knew him and know him, know he was distressed.”
Ms Ristevski said the media interest did not help the situation, with her father focused on shielding her.
“He was just protecting me from the media as they’ve made me so upset.”
Police allege Mr Ristevski killed his wife some time between 8.58am and 10.43am, before dumping her body in a shallow grave in Mt Macedon. He has strongly denied that.
The court also heard evidence from Karen’s aunt Patricia Gray, who detailed how she flew down to Melbourne from Sydney in the days after her disappearance.
She said she spoke to Mr Ristevski about hiring a private investigator, but when contacting a friend who she knew did that line of work, he told her it was “out of his league”.
She confirmed her and Mr Ristevski had a falling out about her talking to the police and media about Karen being missing.
Asked if her opinion of him had changed over a period of time, she said: “Yes.”
Mr Ristevski’s estranged son, Anthony Rickard, was expected to give evidence on Tuesday but the court heard that he had been removed from the witness list. The hearing continues on Wednesday.
He had told the Herald Sun he did not want to give evidence.
The hearing will continue tomorrow.