New details about Joshua John Wishart charged with murder of Alfred Westmoreland

A chilling photo and new details have been revealed about a construction worker charged with murdering a unit manager police allege was intervening in a sex worker booking gone wrong.

Less than an hour after he allegedly bashed a holiday unit manager to death, Joshua John Wishart was drinking on a beach and capturing photos of a moonlit jetty for his social media account.

This is among several police allegations which can be revealed for the first time as a shocked community continues to reel from the death of 75-year-old Hervey Bay businessman Alfred Westmoreland.

Mr Wishart, a 33-year-old father and musclebound motorcycle enthusiast, was most recently working for mining construction giants in Western Australia.

It’s understood he was a regular visitor to the Fraser Coast where his family resides and just last month travelled to the tourist haven for the funeral of his relative Stuart Wishart who was tragically killed in a motorcycle crash at Takura.

While staying in the region on October 20, he had allegedly booked the services of a sex worker at Tree Tops holiday units at 388 the Esplanade, Torquay.

Joshua John Wishart is charged with the murder of holiday unit manager Alfred Westmoreland.

Police will allege that during his appointment that Friday night something went wrong, and the sex worker, who it can be revealed was aged in her 50s, became distressed and started calling for help.

They will further allege Mr Wishart was arguing with the worker and Lynette Westmoreland when her onsite manager husband “Alf” as he was better known, tried to help.

At this point Mr Wishart allegedly assaulted Mr Westmoreland who was seriously injured when police and paramedics arrived on scene and unable to be revived.

Joshua John Wishart lists his most recent employer as Bechtel.

Mrs Westmoreland was also allegedly hurt during the argument and taken to Hervey Bay hospital where she was then released and left to deal with what Detective Gary Pettiford described at a press conference as “horrific” tragedy where “her lifelong partner has lost his life in (allegedly) trying to help her”.

Police will allege a Facebook account belonging to Mr Wishart also shows his cover photo being changed to the image of the Torquay jetty at night and that this image is timestamped as having been uploaded one and half hours after the altercation at Tree Tops.

A scenic photo allegedly posted by Joshua Wishart the same night he allegedly murdered a unit manager.

They further allege that following the argument at the units, Mr Wishart walked to the Torquay Hotel on the corner of Bideford St and the Esplanade where he bought alcohol and went across the road to drink it on the beach, capturing the image.

He was arrested at the home of his grandparents the following morning and later charged with murder, serious assault, demand property with menace and two counts of possessing steroids.

Police are continuing to piece together the events and have appealed for anyone who was in the area between the Beach House and Torquay Hotels on Friday between 7pm-10.30pm and may have seen something to come forward.

The man remanded in custody over the violent alleged murder of a holiday unit manager has been revealed as Joshua John Wishart.

“ … whether they’re driving past in their cars if they had dash cam or if they just walking and noticed anything untoward going on,” Det Insp Pettiford said earlier at a press conference on Monday.

“We believe that after the accused left the premises here. He went and sat over the road towards the beach and consumed some alcohol.

“So, we’d like to know if anyone, any witnesses saw that obviously on a Friday night on the Esplanade here.

“It’s a pretty busy time with people walking, running, driving and just enjoying themselves.

“So, we’ve really encouraged people to come forward by contacting Crime Stoppers as our previously said any little bit of information is good whether they think it’s big or small. It doesn’t matter. It’s up to us, then the piece it together.”

Originally published as New details about Joshua John Wishart charged with murder of Alfred Westmoreland