Angela Surtees fronts court accused of burning husband to death
A Geelong woman accused of burning her husband to death flashed her ring before singing a song dedicated to their wedding day in a YouTube video. The mother-of-five today nursed her injuries in the dock as she faced court.
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A mother of five accused of killing her husband by setting him on fire as he slept on an armchair has faced court for the first time.
Angela Surtees, 33, sat with her head down in the dock at Melbourne Magistrates Court, at one point squinting and saying “Ow” as she nursed her heavily-bandaged left arm.
The photographer and former Tupperware saleswoman is charged with murdering her husband of four years, Daniel Surtees.
Mr Surtees, 36, sustained severe burns at the couple’s Whittington home on Saturday night.
Emergency services were called to the property about 8.30pm, with paramedics rushing Mr Surtees to hospital.
He died the following day.
Photos on their social media accounts show the happy couple on their wedding day with their children, as well as family outings to the football.
In a video posted to Ms Surtees YouTube account in the days after her 2016 wedding, she excitedly talked about her big day.
“So, I got married,” she said, flashing her hand at the camera to show off her wedding ring.
She then went on to sing a rendition of A Tale As Old As Time, saying it was meant to be the couple’s first dance song, but their playlist got “hijacked” on the day.
More recently, she shared posts on her Facebook to show her support for the bushfire appeal and urging friends and family to donate.
The court did not hear the circumstances of how and why she allegedly killed her husband.
But her lawyer Bronwen Robertson said it was her first time in custody.
Ms Robertson highlighted that Ms Surtees would need to see a doctor due to an injury on her arm.
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Magistrate Tara Hartnett asked if the injury was pre-existing or occurred during her alleged crime and Ms Robertson confirmed it was sustained on the same day.
Ms Surtees smiled and nodded towards her mother and sister in court when her sister mouthed “I love you”.
As custody officers escorted her from the courtroom, she blew a kiss to them both.
Her mother wiped away tears as she blew a kiss back.
Outside court, the pair made no comment.
Ms Surtees will return to court on May 11.