Phillip Alastair Harris charged with murder, arson, serious cruelty to an animal and serious assault

The 30-year-old has been held in custody since being charged with murder in December 2019. Here’s the latest details from court.

AFTER more than two years since he was arrested and taken into custody, murder accused Phillip Alastair Harris is about to appear in person before the Toowoomba courts.

Harris, 30, was charged with murder arising from the death of 63-year-old Peter Weaver.

Mr Weaver’s dismembered and charred remains were found inside a Rivett St house by Queensland Fire and Emergency crews called to a blaze at the South Toowoomba home on the night of December 15, 2019.

The remains of a dismembered dog were also allegedly found inside the home by emergency crews that night.

The case against Harris had been delayed by the completion of the police brief of evidence, including DNA results, and other reports.

Harris, who was not required to be in Toowoomba Magistrates Court when his case was mentioned on Thursday, has not as yet been required to enter any pleas to the charges which include murder, misconduct with a corpse, arson, serious animal cruelty, entering a dwelling and committing an indictable offence and serious assault of police.

His solicitor Phil Stainton, of Legal Aid Queensland’s Toowoomba office, told the court an application for cross examination of witnesses at a committal hearing had been made to the police prosecution and rejected.

Mr Stainton said he was now seeking a date for the court to hear that application.

Mr David Jones of counsel had been briefed in the matter and he estimated that the application hearing would take about two hours, Mr Stainton said.

If that application was refused by the court, a full hand-up committal hearing would proceed for which the defendant would have to be present.

Magistrate Louise Shephard therefore remanded Harris in custody but ordered he be produced for the application hearing in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on September 20.