Man cleared over toddler’s murder charged after woman’s body found in Cobram

Detectives have charged a man previously cleared of a toddler’s murder after the death of a woman in Cobram.

A man previously cleared of a toddler’s murder has been charged by detectives in relation to the death of a woman at Cobram on Tuesday.

John Torney – who was found not guilty of the murder of two-year-old Nikki Francis Coslovich at Mildura in 2015 – was on Wednesday night charged with intentionally cause injury, reckless cause injury, aggravated assault of a female and unlawful assault.

He was arrested by police on Tuesday and grilled over the mysterious death of Emma Bates.

The 49-year-old woman, who uses a mobility scooter, was found on the floor of her Campbell Rd home at 2.15pm with significant head and upper body injuries consistent with being assaulted.

Torney, 39, was arrested a short time later and was being held in custody while the cause of death is investigated.

He was expected to face an out of sessions court hearing Wednesday night, where police would look to remand him to face Shepparton Magistrates’ Court on Friday.

Police will allege the parties involved are known to each other.

John Torney was found not guilty of killing toddler Nikki Francis-Coslovich. Picture: Mark Stewart

John Torney outside Mildura Court. Picture: Tony Gough

Nikki Francis-Coslovich died of horrific injuries in 2015.

The Herald Sun understands homicide squad detectives requested CCTV from the local pub.

They are trying to build a timeline of Torney’s day and believe he was at the pub playing the pokies for some of it.

One local, who did not want to be named, said Torney moved into a house two doors down from Ms Bates about 14-months ago.

They said Torney got into a relationship with Ms Bates and recently moved into her home.

Friends remembered her as “warm and loving”.

“She always helped my elderly parents and had a huge heart, was warm and loving,” Kylie Justice said.

“I’m in total shock that something like this could happen to such a beautiful soul.”

Emergency services were called to Campbell Rd in Cobram on Tuesday afternoon. Picture: Oscar Jaeger

Police at the scene where Emma Bates was found dead. Picture: Oscar Jaeger

Torney was previously acquitted of murdering his partner’s daughter, Nikki, in her Mildura home in 2015. This is despite him admitting to hiding the tiny girl’s body in the roof of the home.

During a high-profile three-week Supreme Court trial in 2016, he maintained the toddler’s mum, Peta Ann Francis, killed her in a fit of rage and he hid the body to keep her from getting in trouble.

Torney’s defence was he found Nikki still breathing after the assault but later saying she was dead by the time he checked on her in her bed.

Nikki died of horrific injuries including a crushed heart, bleeding lungs and a split liver, which police alleged was similar injuries seen in high-speed car crashes or falling from a great height.

Women killed in Australia this year.

Torney, originally from Queensland, was neighbours with Ms Francis in Oram Court and began dating her in early 2015. He moved in with Ms Francis and Nikki around Easter and by August she was dead.

The jury deliberated for three days and there were audible gasps as the decision to clear him of all charges were read out.

If homicide squad detectives ascertain Ms Bates’ death is the result of foul play, she would become the sixth woman allegedly killed by a man in Victoria this year.