‘Severed leg’ mum, who allegedly tried to cover up woman’s death, likely to walk free on bail by end of the week

A Darwin mum who allegedly helped her son cover up the death of an Aboriginal woman after he allegedly ran her down with his car later went home and ‘went about her business’, a court has heard.

A DARWIN mum who allegedly helped her son cover up the death of an Aboriginal woman after he allegedly ran her down with his car, and then went home and “went about her business”, will likely be free on bail by the end of the week.

Deborah Karen Mason applied for bail in the Darwin Local Court on Tuesday after her son, Joshua Gary Mason, allegedly ran the woman over, severing her leg on May 30.

The pair are each charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice, attempting to destroy evidence and interfering with a corpse, with each yet to enter a plea.

In opposing bail, Crown prosecutor Tami Grealy said Deborah Mason had allegedly “undergone serious lengths to avoid prosecution” and made admissions that would amount to attempting to pervert the course of justice.

“She’s made admissions to going back and moving the body, she’s indeed taken police to the area where they left the body, only to find, perhaps to her surprise, although it’s not clear, but to find that the body had been moved a second time, at least by the co-offender,” she said.

“After the body was moved she’s used water and the co-offender’s T-shirt to wipe down the back of the tray, in an attempt to remove evidence from the ute that was used to transport the body.”

Mason’s lawyer, Thelma Gray, said it was her client’s “first time in custody for anything” and she was currently in 23-hour lockdown in prison for her own protection.

“I have received instructions in regard to, especially, the attempt to pervert, that she assisted in moving the body, and I am instructed that there will be plea along those lines for that,” she said.

“She’s in protection because she’s at risk of being assaulted in regard to the victim of this offence.

“Up until this incident she was of good character and this is not an offence that is likely to be repeated by her.”

Police search the site where the leg was found.

Judge Therese Austin said while Mason had “absolutely no criminal history” and “was not involved in any incident that caused the death of anybody”, it was “a serious example of defeating the course of justice”.

“Her and her son (allegedly) moved the deceased from the median strip or the roadway, put the deceased into the back of a vehicle and did not call the police, did not notify the authorities,” she said.

“On the way to wherever they were going, they took a wrong turn and then they took her body and put her in bushland, not knowing that she had had her leg severed during the impact.

“They then went home and, the next day, she went about her business, it appeared, until her daughter let her know that the leg had been found and perhaps that the game was up — even then she did not tell the police.

“She lied to the police and it wasn’t until she participated in a record of interview that she told the truth.”

Ms Austin said “despite my misgivings”, bail would be granted “on very strict conditions” once Mason could secure a $10,000 surety.

“If she can’t make surety, she does not get bail, that’s how it works,” she said.

Mason will return to court on July 27.