Families fear violent criminal’s early jail release

Two families are in fear of the imminent early release of convicted violent offender Charles Evans who may not be monitored closely because of COVID-19 restrictions.

EXCLUSIVE

Two families are in fear of the early release from prison of violent criminal Charles Evans who was jailed for the fatal car ramming of carnival performer Alicia Little.

Alicia’s mother Lee and the former wife of Evans, Kim Bermingham, fear he will not be closely monitored when he walks from jail because of COVID-19 restrictions on parole supervision.

News.com.au has been told Evans has applied for release and will become eligible in late June, just 30 months after he was jailed after Alicia’s death.

His ex-wife fears he will return to live in NSW after his release from Victoria’s Ararat correctional facility.

Alicia Maree Little was poised to leave Evans for good with her bags packed on the afternoon she died.

It was December 28, 2017 and the 41-year-old had already dialled triple-0 to report her fear of her “drunk and abusive” partner.

Police made their way out to the isolated farm outside the rural Victorian village of Kyneton in the Macedon Ranges, 100km northwest of Melbourne.

But before they arrived, Evans had run his Toyota Hilux into her, crushing Alicia’s body between his car and a concrete water tank.

When officers reached the scene they found Alicia foaming at the mouth before dying where she lay.

She had suffered massive blunt force trauma, a lacerated liver and huge haemorrhaging into her abdomen.

Police would later charge Evans, who had fled the scene, with murder.

But the charge was dropped by prosecutors in a deal that saw Evans agree to plead guilty to downgraded charges of dangerous driving causing death and fail to render assistance.

Sentenced to a minimum two-and-half years in prison, with time served, Evans is eligible to apply for parole in eight weeks’ time.

As both she and Alicia’s mother Lee Little anxiously wait for Evans’ prison release, Ms Bermingham told news.com.au about his vile treatment of her.

Kim Bermingham endured 22 years with Charles Evans, whose cruelty and rage she said sounded similar to his treatment of Ms Little before she died.

Alicia Little died in December 2017 as she was leaving Charles Evans for good.

Evans beat and belittled Alicia.

Alicia was crushed by Evans car.

Police at the Lavender Lane crime scene after officers found Alicia Little dying after she was rammed by the car. Picture: Lawrence Pinder

Alicia’s son Ariki with her mother Lee are in fear that Charles Evans will be released from prison after just 30 months. Picture: Mark Stewart

Kim Bermingham finds it eerie that the water tank featured in Alicia’s death, claiming Evans used to try to scare her with threats that he would put her body in the water tank and concrete over it.

“That’s what he always said he would do to me,” Ms Bermingham told news.com.au.

She had lived with Evans in country NSW and had two daughters and a son with him.

“We had rainwater tanks and he said, ‘I’m going to kill you and bury you in the tank and I’m going to cement it over.’

“He was always watching crime shows, staying up to 2am.

“One day me and the kids came home and he was climbing out of one of the rainwater tanks.

“My daughter asked him why he was in there and he said, ‘I dropped my sunglasses’.”

But she was terrified that Evans was planning her death and the disposal of her body where no-one would find it.

The tragic text messages between Alicia Little and her mother on the afternoon she died trying to leave Evans, predicting ‘there will be drama’.

A bruised Alicia Little in hospital after Charles Evans assaulted her.

“I don’t know how many times he threatened to kill me, “ said Ms Bermingham, who was attacked while pregnant and breastfeeding her three children, kicked, headbutted and scalded.

The last time he choked her, he had come home from the pub in a rage and strangled her until she blacked out.

She woke up on the ground with her kids screaming, “You’ve killed Mum” and Evans yelling, “I haven’t killed the c**t yet”, Ms Bermingham told news.com.au.

“Then he picked me up by the hair and forced my head up to the coat rack and tried to drive one of the hooks through the back of my head.”

Ms Bermingham said she would be dead but for her children trying to drag Evans from her, her younger daughter dialling triple-0 after the initial choking and police arriving when she was up against the coat rack.

Kyneton victim Alicia Little.

Alicia died on a remote property.

Forensic police attend the crime scene at Lavender Lane, Kyneton where Alicia died from blunt force trauma and blood loss. Picture Andrew Tauber

Police seize the Toyota Hilux Evans drove when he fatally struck Alicia. Picture Andrew Tauber

Evans, a belittler and controller who told her what to wear, what to do and who to meet, would “just snap” at any moment, she said.

“He was always insanely jealous,” she said. “If I fed the kids before him he would go out of control, if someone drank the last can of coke in the fridge, when I gave my son thongs for Christmas instead of him.

“He didn’t start hitting me until I was pregnant with my first daughter.

“After that if I’d say I was leaving him, he was going to kill me and (would) ask me, ‘Where are you going to live?’

“When I’d say I was entitled to half the house, he’d say, ‘You won’t be entitled to anything if you’re dead.’”

When Ms Bermingham heard about what had happened to Alicia Little, and later the court accounts of her violent death, she shivered.

“Everything that was said to her was what he said to me. It gave me goosebumps,” she said.

She said when Evans was released on parole, probably in late June, he might return and try to contact her or her daughters, which made her fearful.

Both Ms Bermingham, and Lee Little want the community to be aware that Charles Evans is living among them when he walks from the Hopkins Correctional Centre in Ararat, Victoria.

News.com.au has learnt Evans may apply to serve his 18 months parole term back in central western NSW, in the area around Parkes and Forbes.

He is well-known in the carnival entertainment industry, and may seek work through family connections.

“He’ll be that cocky when he gets out,” Ms Bermingham said.

“He would think to this day he’s done nothing wrong and that Alicia was in the wrong.”

Charles Evans and late Alicia Little for whose death he will have served just 30 months in prison

Charles Evans arrives at Melbourne’s Supreme Court for sentencing last September. Picture: David Crosling

Lee Little, centre, and Alicia’s father, right, at the Victorian Supreme Court sentencing of Evans. Picture: David Crosling

“He’s still in his 40s,” a tearful Lee Little told news.com.au.

“He broke every bone in my daughter’s upper body except for one rib. Every organ in her body was smashed.”

Immediately prior to Alicia’s death a trail of SMS messages between Lee and Alicia show she had – with her mother’s love and support – gathered the strength to leave.

But she was well aware her plans would cause trouble with Evans.

During her last half-hour before Evans struck her with his car, Alicia texted Lee ominously “In the next 24 hours there is going to be drama”.

Three hours later, Lee texts back “are you OK. Just seen TV”.

Alicia Little and her mother texted one another in the lead-up to her death.

Evans fled after striking Alicia with his van (picture above) – impounded by police at the Kyneton property. Picture Andrew Tauber

Lee Little had just seen television news reports of an incident at Kyneton in which a woman died and seen footage of her daughter’s car.

“I knew it was her,” Lee told news.com.au. “I knew it was my Alicia.”

Lee believes that before Alicia was struck, she and Evans had a fight inside the house and he pinned her down, and she bit his nose to fight him off.

Then Evans went outside and got into his vehicle.

She was on the phone talking to a friend when the friend heard a “whooshing car noise” as she was struck and the phone cut out.

Two weeks before he ran her down, Charles Evans had asked Alicia Little to marry him.

But before Christmas Day arrived, Evans was back to his abusive and controlling ways and Alicia had moved into the spare bedroom.

The couple had lived in Melbourne for two years, during which time Evans had assaulted Ms Little, hospitalising her.

Alicia had periodically fled home to her parents’ house.

“But he always lured her back with the promise that he’d changed,” Lee told news.com.au.

SMS messages reveal by Boxing Day, Alicia had decided that, once and for all, the relationship had reached an end.

She posted “I’m over it” on Facebook and texted Lee “I’m not doing it any more”.

Alicia Little’s family arrive at the Kyneton crime scene where she died in December 2017. Picture: Lawrence Pinder

The day before her daughter died, Lee Little was on the phone to Alicia as she packed and could hear Evans in the background verbally abusing her.

Lee asked her daughter if she was okay and down the phone line heard the door on the house slide open.

Lee heard the “unmistakeable, rough” voice of Evans address her daughter, “who are you f***ing talking to?”

Alicia told him to “shut up” and that she was talking to her mother.

Lee heard Evans growl “bring your brother, bring your uncles, I don’t f***ing care, I am an Evans and I’ll go through the lot of them”.

The couple had met because their families were both in the showground entertainment industry.

Evans’ sister ran a business hiring out fairground equipment.

Alicia was a trapeze artist known for her spirited and athletic performances at shows around country Victoria.

Lee said she was one of the fittest people she knew, and was no pushover mentally or physically.

“She had plenty of guts,” Lee said.

Alicia was a trapeze artist.

Alicia Little with Evans.

“She could fire up, don’t worry. But that’s what a narcissist like him does, presses your buttons.”

Lee said Alicia was also a “soft touch” for those in need, and possibly saw Evans as someone who needed saving.

From an early age, Lee said Alicia would bring home “animals and people”.

“All her life,” Lee said.

“Kids on the street who had no money, she used to bring them home to our caravan for a feed, a shower.”

After Charles Evans pleaded guilty to the lesser charges, he was sentenced last year in the Victorian Supreme Court.

Justice Lesley Taylor found Alicia’s and Evans’ relationship had been “marked by violence”.

Justice Taylor told the court she had read plenty of evidence from friends and family to believe that Alicia “would light up a room”.

On the day she died, Justice Taylor found, Alicia had texted a friend between 3.39 and 3.44, saying she had caught Evans looking up dating websites, could no longer trust him or live with a drunk.

Then came the call with her friend who heard the car “whoosh”.

Alicia's eldest child, Ariki Little, with a photo of his late mother. Picture: Mark Stewart

Justice Taylor’s findings about what happened next were that Evans took Alicia’s phone.

He then got into his Toyota Hilux “to drive out of the property … passing between a fence and a large concrete water tank”.

Police would determine Evans was driving between 12 and 16 km per hour around the tank with his car’s tyres about 13 cm – the average length of a child’s hand – from it.

Evans braked, the truck struck Alicia Little and skidded for 2.2m.

“It seems likely that Ms Little had come out of the house in an attempt to retrieve her phone [and] was standing near the water tank” when Evans hit her with his vehicle, the court judgment said.

Alicia was struck on her right hand side by the van’s front driver side which spun her 180 degrees as it skidded.

Police knew the leading edge of the utility tray behind the driver’s door struck Alicia’s back because they found traces of her DNA on that surface.

After fleeing, Evans phoned a friend at 3.50pm, asking to stay and claiming Alicia had bitten his nose after “going right off”.

When police eventually arrested Evans and noticed he was drunk, Evans said he’d had “two small scotches”.

He wasn’t breathalysed until almost five hours after his car fatally struck Alicia, but even then his blood alcohol level was .087.

Evans told police the last time he had seen Alicia she “definitely had no injuries”.

Alicia’s father is comforted outside the court. Picture: David Crosling.

Policewomen at the Lavender Lane property outside the Victorian town of Kyneton after Alicia’s death. Picture Andrew Tauber

While in custody, he told his son Alicia had thrown a big rock at the car, which caused him to brake.

He said she could not have been hit by his car but that she might have bumped the mirror or hit the side door, which spun her around a little.

“Your actions caused the death of Ms Little. Ms Little was crushed between the water tank and your car tyres,” Justice Taylor said at the sentencing.

“You did nothing to assist Ms Little. You left the scene.”

But the judge accepted “that your plea of guilty indicates remorse on your part … I consider you to have good prospects for rehabilitation.”

Lee Little and daughter Lauren Little (centre) after Evans received a short sentence for causing Alicia’s death. Picture: David Crosling

After the death at the Kyneton property (above) Evans was charged with murder, but the charge was dropped. Picture: Lawrence Pinder

News.com.au asked Victorian Attorney-General Jill Hennessy whether Charles Evans would automatically be released from prison in June.

However, Ms Hennessy declined to answer specific questions, saying her government was “building a family violence justice system that prioritises the protection of victim survivors and holds perpetrators to account”.

“As the courts and Director of Public Prosecutions are independent of Government, it would be inappropriate to comment on the particular circumstances of this case.”

Despite the Little family’s change.org petitionJustice For Alicia reaching almost 50,000 signatures, five times its target, Ms Hennessy has said she can do nothing to further Little family’s bid to keep Evans in jail.

The petition asks that states legally share prior criminal histories and establish a national database of domestic violence perpetrators, similar to a sex offenders’ register.

Ms Bermingham said she supported the push for a national register of domestic violence offenders, in the hope it would help prevent abusers like Evans from repeating their crimes interstate.

Meanwhile, however, Lee Little and Kim Bermingham warned anyone who might have future dealings with Evans after his prison release.

“He is evil and delusional,” Ms Bermingham said.

[e-mail]