Warrnambool man Christopher Jarvis killed over rental dispute with landlord, court hears

A Warrnambool man whose body has never been found was killed with a baseball bat and buried in a bush grave over a rental dispute with his landlord, a court has heard.

Thunder Point, a popular coastal lookout in Warrnambool, where the burnt out car of missing man Christopher Jarvis was found.

A Warrnambool man was killed with a baseball bat and his body buried in a bush grave over a rental dispute with his landlord, a court has heard.

Christopher Jarvis’ remains have never been found after he vanished from his Wangoom home near Warrnambool, in the state’s southwest, in June 2006.

Glenn Fenwick, 61, who pleaded guilty to the father-of-three’s manslaughter, faced a pre-sentence hearing in the Supreme Court sitting in Warrnambool on Monday where fresh details about the 18-year cold case were revealed.

Crown prosecutor Mark Gibson KC said Fenwick was enlisted by his friend and Mr Jarvis’ landlord — known as AB — to evict the 38-year-old amid a dispute over unpaid rent.

Both men were charged with murder but the charge against AB was later dropped and Fenwick’s downgraded to manslaughter.

Christopher Jarvis’ remains have never been found.

The court heard AB told Fenwick “this prick has to go”.

About 6am on June 13, 2006, the pair allegedly confronted Mr Jarvis in the driveway of his home as he left for work.

“It was there the deceased was savagely assaulted,” Mr Gibson said.

The court heard it was still dark and Mr Jarvis was taken by surprise as he locked up a gate when AB allegedly struck him in the back of the head with a starter pistol and threw him to the ground.

He screamed for help before AB allegedly put the starter pistol into his ear and pulled the trigger.

The court heard Mr Jarvis was bundled into the boot of his own 1991 Ford station wagon and driven to the nearby Framlingham Forest where his assailants dug a shallow grave.

While Fenwick was sitting in the passenger seat, AB allegedly pulled Mr Jarvis from the boot and removed his clothes before he struck him in the head with a baseball bat.

The court heard Mr Jarvis made a gasping noise before he went quiet and AB rolled him into the grave.

“Was that really f--king neccessary?” Fenwick asked AB.

The burnt out car of Christopher Jarvis.

The court heard the men then drove into sand dunes near Thunder Point, a popular coastal lookout in Warrnambool, where they torched Mr Jarvis’ car.

At the time of his death, Mr Jarvis and his landlord were due to face a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal hearing regarding a dispute over the property which Mr Jarvis shared with his partner and her young children.

AB claimed Mr Jarvis owed him rent, while Mr Jarvis claimed he was owed money for repairs he had done to the home.

The court heard Mr Jarvis’ partner reported him missing after he failed to appear at the hearing.
Police spoke with AB who allegedly disclosed there had been verbal arguments and he had issued an eviction notice but he was not arrested.

The case went cold but was re-examined by the Missing Persons Squad in 2018.

Despite Fenwick’s guilty plea and extensive searches, Mr Jarvis’ remains have not been found.

Victim impact statements from Mr Jarvis will be heard on Tuesday.

Originally published as Warrnambool man Christopher Jarvis killed over rental dispute with landlord, court hears