Man drove ‘aimlessly’ with mate’s body in car

A Supreme Court Justice has blasted police for their handling of a murder investigation after a man’s body was discovered in a car at a suburban shopping centre.

A Supreme Court Justice has criticised Victoria Police for its handling of a case where a dead man was found in a suburban shopping centre carpark.

The body of Stephen Watts, 41, was found partially hidden under a blanket in the back seat of a car parked at Brimbank Plaza in Melbourne’s northwest on August 16, 2019.

Mr Watts, a family man and employee at a nearby Good Guys store, had died about 14 hours earlier from a stab wound to his chest received at the home of a mate, Trevor Lovett, 51.

Lovett was passed out from a heroin overdose in the same vehicle and, despite maintaining he did not kill Mr Watts, was charged with murder the following day.

“The only thing I've done bad was not taking him to hospital,” he told police at the time.

“So (you) are trying to … put it on me like I killed him. I didn’t kill him, honest to God.”

On Wednesday, Lovett returned to the Supreme Court of Victoria for sentencing after pleading guilty to an alternative charge of manslaughter by negligence late last year.

The court was told Lovett had spent close to 3½ years in custody while police were pursuing the murder charge, but prosecutors had accepted his offer of a plea to the alternative charge in October last year.

Justice Michael Croucher said the case against Lovett would likely have been resolved much earlier had “basic and necessary investigative steps been taken back in 2019”.

He told the court police had an “exclusive focus” on Lovett as the man responsible for stabbing Watts despite evidence pointing towards another man as a rival suspect.

The court was told Mr Watts and several others had been drinking and taking drugs at Lovett’s Darley home in Melbourne’s northwest in the early hours of August 16.

At an unknown time, an altercation broke out between Mr Watts and two brothers, Lochlan and Hayden Johns, that was broken up by Lovett when it turned physical.

Seconds later, Mr Watts collapsed to the ground with a knife wound in his chest.

Accepting Lovett’s plea deal in October last year, prosecutors said they couldn’t prove beyond reasonable doubt who stabbed Mr Watts.

Panicking at the blood pouring out of Mr Watts, the three men carried him to the living room where they discussed what to do, the court was told.

Trevor Lovett drove to Brimbank Plaza shopping centre with a body hidden in the back of his car. Picture: Google

When the prospect of calling an ambulance came up, the court was told Lovett said; “Nah f**k it, don’t worry about it,” before saying he’d drive Mr Watts to the hospital.

Heavily drug-affected, Lovett loaded the “gravely injured” man into the rear seat of his car and set off alone to Sunshine Hospital – about 35 minutes away.

Instead, fearing he would be accused of the stabbing, he panicked and drove around “aimlessly” over the following 13 hours.

The court was told Lovett drove to a friend’s home about 4am and slept for several hours. It’s believed Mr Watts had already died at this point.

Over the following hours, Lovett stashed the car in an unknown location and returned home to attempt to clean up the blood.

He later drove to Brimbank Plaza, going through Hungry Jack’s, before parking in an outdoor car park, where he briefly called his ex-partner, sobbing.

Here, Lovett attempted to take his own life through a heroin overdose but was found by a shopping centre security guard about 5pm.

Mr Watts’ body was discovered covered by a blanket in the back seat.

Sentencing Lovett, justice Croucher described the criminality of his actions as “failing miserably” after assuming the responsibility of a de facto ambulance driver.

“But for Mr Lovett’s inaction, his dying passenger would have avoided an untimely death,” he said.

“He failed miserably, morally and criminally in the duty he had taken for Mr Watts – a man who was his friend.”

Lovett was sentenced to five years imprisonment with a non-parole period of 3½ years – taking into account the 1279 days he’d spent on remand.

“While it’s a matter for the parole board, I think he’s spent enough time in immediate custody,” Justice Croucher said.

“He will be eligible for release within a day or two, if not immediately.”

Originally published as Man drove ‘aimlessly’ with mate’s body in car