Brian Earl Johnston pleads not guilty to raping murdered mum Kelly Wilkinson

Kelly Wilkinson’s murderer stands accused of repeatedly raping the Gold Coast mum only weeks before her horrific death at his hands.

Convicted killer Brian Earl Johnston will fight allegations he repeatedly raped his estranged wife Kelly Wilkinson in the weeks before her horrific death at his hands.

Johnston pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape on Wednesday at the end of a two-day committal hearing in Southport Magistrates Court.

It is alleged he digitally raped Kelly four times in several days in February, 2021, only weeks before brutally murdering her at her Arundel home. He is now serving a life sentence.

Kelly’s family members gave evidence this week about the 27-year-old mum beginning to confide in them in the months before her death about the physical, emotional, and alleged sexual abuse inflicted by Johnston.

Her sister Emma said it was around Christmas in 2020 that Kelly first shared allegations of sexual assault, telling her Johnston would continue sex after she told him to stop or touch her inappropriately.

Kelly Wilkinson

Ms Wilkinson claimed she had even seen Johnston grope Kelly.

She said Kelly told her she had suffered domestic violence both in Australia and while living in the United States.

“A lot of conversation we had was that he had been physical towards her ... and she wasn’t going to do anything about any of that because she didn’t want to cause any tension with the kids (and) their father,” she said.

A former colleague and friend of Johnston’s told the court the former US Marine denied the sexual abuse allegations – only to in the same conversation reveal a “history of violence” in his relationship with Kelly.

“(Johnston) said she has made those allegations and it wasn’t true - he did say immediately after that she does say no sometimes, that there is some physical refusal by kicking and punching but he thought that was just normal and it was always like that so he would just proceed,” he said.

“I told him at the time, with my wife being a clinical psychologist, (that) maybe he should speak to her or somebody to work through that.”

The witness said he believed Johnston suffered some form of post-traumatic stress, but told him before Kelly’s murder that he had stopped drinking alcohol and was “getting help”.

Kelly’s sister Danielle Carroll and her husband Rhys also gave evidence during committal proceedings, claiming Johnston had admitted the alleged sexual abuse to them over the phone or via text.

Johnston’s case was committed for trial in Southport District Court.

No date has been set for any higher court proceedings.

‘Monster’: Murdered mum’s family claims killer admitted alleged rapes

Family members of slain Gold Coast mum Kelly Wilkinson have claimed her estranged husband admitted to sexually abusing her just weeks before brutally murdering her.

Convicted killer and former US Marine Brian Earl Johnston is charged with digitally raping Kelly four times in less than a week at her Arundel home in February, 2021 – about two months before her death at his hands.

Johnston – now serving a life sentence for Kelly’s horrific murder – was brought in from jail for the first day of his committal hearing in Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Six witnesses gave their accounts of learning about the alleged rapes as Kelly revealed to them the years of domestic violence inflicted by Johnston.

Kelly Wilkinson

Kelly’s sister Danielle Carroll said she was shocked when the young mum first volunteered details of the physical and emotional abuse in the weeks before her death.

Mrs Carroll said her sister told her Johnston had held her down and threatened to “crush her skull” and stopped her from getting a driver’s licence.

She told the court Johnston sounded “low” when he called her about a month before Kelly’s death.

“He said, ‘I just wanted to let you know that I’ve basically been physically, emotionally, (and) sexually abusing Kelly for the last few years’,” Mrs Carroll said.

“He, you know, felt bad about it – I was basically just giving short answers like, ‘Okay’, because I was in a bit of shock myself.”

Kelly Wilkinson’s sisters Danielle Carroll (second from left) and Natalie Wilkinson (right) were among those to give evidence on the first day of convicted killer Brian Johnston’s committal hearing on rape charges. Picture NewsWire / Richard Gosling

When asked by Johnston’s barrister Kim Bryson whether she had any concerns for his mental health during the call, Mrs Carroll said he was “very good” at playing the “wounded animal”.

“I think the information that I was getting from my sister is that he was a monster,” she said.

Mrs Carroll told the court her sister later alleged Johnston had digitally raped her four times – specifying one occasion was in the bedroom of their Arundel home – as she screamed and kicked to try to make him stop. She said Kelly said her children were in the house.

Mrs Carroll’s husband Rhys also gave evidence, telling the court Kelly had spoken to him about Johnston not giving her the space she needed to mourn her mother’s death – only weeks before her own.

He said Johnston went from strenuously denying any allegations of sexual abuse to saying it may have happened while he was drunk or could not recall it to “basically admitting to doing it”.

Johnston’s barrister Kim Bryson (left). Picture: NewsWire / Richard Gosling

“I believe he said (in texts) something along the lines of, ‘I’ve tried to slip a sneaky finger in and she’s ... pushed me away’ ... and that any time he would do those sorts of things she would either push him away or fight him off or kick him,” Mr Carroll said.

“One time apparently he said … she’d nearly choked him out with her legs trying to fight him off.”

In evidence about what she had been told about the rape allegations, another witness said Kelly told her she had “corrected” Johnston’s belief he could not rape his wife and believed either her estranged husband or one of his friends kept trying to contact her despite a domestic violence order being in place.

Witnesses were also questioned during cross-examination about their communication with Kelly while she was living with Johnston in the United States.

The hearing will continue before Magistrate Nerida Wilson on Wednesday.

Originally published as Brian Earl Johnston pleads not guilty to raping murdered mum Kelly Wilkinson