Mum accused of murdering husband ‘manipulated’ family members, court told

A court has been told of new allegations surrounding a Queensland mum accused of stabbing her husband to death.

A mum accused of stabbing her husband to death in regional Queensland is alleged to have “manipulated” family members and others to suggest she was in an abusive relationship, a court has been told.

Shocking allegations of the relationship between mother of four Kerrie Lee Catling and her husband Chris were revealed as the woman applied for bail at the Supreme Court on Friday.

Ms Catling is alleged to have murdered her husband at the couple’s North Rockhampton home in March.

Chris Catling and Kerrie Lee Catling. Ms Catling (right) has been charged over the alleged murder of her husband Chris in March this year.

Chris Catling, 51, was found dead in a lounge chair in the Norman Gardens house.

Justice David Boddice said he was inclined to refuse bail as it appeared she had manipulated family members over what they could recall about her marriage.

“There is an allegation … of manipulation of what they can now recall in relation to a basis to say she was subject to an abusive relationship to justify how the deceased was found with a knife that had a trajectory of a downward motion in a lounge chair,” he said.

“The issue is whether she’s having other people change their version of events.”

Michael Copley QC, Ms Catling’s defence barrister, said there was no evidence his client was trying to manufacture evidence of domestic violence to others.

Justice Boddice said Ms Catling (pictured) appeared to have engaged in deliberate deception and fraud in the past.

He said the couple’s 18-year-old daughter had told police she had never seen her father hit her mother.

“She says he (Chris) was very verbal, he just yells and swears a lot,” Mr Copley said.

Mr Copley said the daughter had detailed an incident about with her mother “having a knife and Dad said she was going crazy”.

He said the woman revised her statement after speaking with her mother, as she had initially based her statement off “what Dad had told me”.

“It’s my client simply discussing with her daughter what the circumstances of that incident were,” Mr Copley said.

“She (the daughter) told police … reflecting back on what I said last time, I’ve oversimplified matters with you.”

The court was told that Ms Catling was alleged to have told another woman over the phone that Chris was “abusive” and “no one knew the real Chris”.

But during the same call, between either August 2015 or 2016, she also said he “was the most wonderful husband”.

Chris Catling died from an alleged single stab wound at a Norman Gardens home on March 22.

Mr Copley said the phone call put the matter into “a completely different context”, as it showed his client had complained of abuse before the alleged incident.

He said another incident involved Mr Catling punching one of his adult children in the face while driving.

Justice Bodice said there was also evidence Ms Catling “consistently” engaged in fraud and was a person who “engages in deliberate deception”.

He said one of the allegations included her creating a fake woman from the ANZ bank to “deceive” her husband.

Another included issues on purchasing a pinball machine and an allegation Ms Catling was at fault for wrongly administering the funds of a local rugby league club.

“Depending on the circumstances of the case it may well be that was the basis for a motive that she was going to be caught out in relation to all those deceptions, it was all starting to unfold before her very eyes,” he said.

“One doesn’t know it because it’s early stages of the investigation.”

Justice Boddice adjourned proceedings to allow time for the parties to listen to further recordings relevant to the bail application.