Joshua John Wishart charged with murder of Alfred Westmoreland at Hervey Bay

A 33-year-old man was angry at a sex worker for “photoshopping” images in her ad when he allegedly got into an argument which ended in a Qld holiday unit manager’s murder, a court has heard.

Police taped off the Tree Top units following the alleged murder of onsite manager Alfred Westmoreland.

A sex worker has told a court about the “terrifying” moment her client allegedly attacked the landlord of the Hervey Bay unit complex where she was staying.

Coco Wang also claimed 75-year-old Alfred Westmoreland’s underwear was removed and he was photographed as he lay bleeding on the ground before the alleged killer fled.

Ms Wang was testifying at a Tuesday committal hearing for Western Australian man Joshua John Wishart, 33, who is charged with the murder of Mr Westmoreland in October, 2023.

The court heard Mr Wishart was angry because he’d turned up to the Tree Tops unit complex to find the sex worker he’d booked looked nothing like her advertised images.

Via a translator, Ms Wang admitted using photoshopped photos on her advertisement which attracted Mr Wishart to her flat.

She agreed the photos in the ad were false and said Mr Wishart became aggressive when he reached the front door and said something to her regarding how she looked nothing like the advertised photos.

Joshua Wishart, 33, is charged with murder.

She told the court she called from the stairs for Mr Westmoreland’s wife, Lynette, explaining she believed her language barrier would have stopped her from communicating efficiently with police.

She said that when Mrs Westmoreland asked Mr Wishart to leave, he refused and pushed her.

After that, Mr Westmoreland then came halfway down the stairs to Ms Wang’s flat and Mr Wishart came out, she said, going on to tell the court Mr Wishart met Mr Westmoreland in front of the units and punched him after they briefly spoke.

Defence lawyer Joseph Briggs questioned Wang as to whether the “punch” was actually a slap, but she could not remember.

She said that after the strike, Mr Westmoreland lost his balance, became wobbly, and fell down in the concrete yard, explaining she tried to support him and hold him up as his head bled.

“He was only breathing out. No breathing in,” she said.

A sex worker has given evidence at the committal hearing.

She also claimed she tried to perform CPR on Mr Westmoreland as his wife went upstairs to call the police.

At that point, Ms Wang claimed, Mr Wishart took his alleged victim’s underwear off and photographed him as he lay on the ground.

“I saw the flash,” she said, telling the court Mr Wishart then took a second photo and then left.

“It was terrifying.”

‘Slugged me in the jaw’: Slain landlord’s wife speaks

Lynette Westmoreland was in the witness box on Tuesday afternoon, telling the court she still owned the Tree Tops property which she and her husband had run for more than two decades.

She said she was “well aware” of but was in no way involved in the escorting business onsite.

“I have never managed girls. Ever”, Mrs Westmoreland said.

“We treated them like very good friends.”

Escorts often stayed in Unit 2 of the Tree Top units (pictured here with police fingerprint dusting), the court heard.

Mrs Westmoreland described how she and her husband would go on holidays while an escort used unit two, with those escorts always paying them rent in cash when they returned.

She told the court she would often help out when one of the women had problems.

On the night of her husband’s alleged murder, Mr Wishart allegedly told her “she (Ms Wang) owes me money”.

Lynette Westmoreland leaves court this afternoon after the hearing.

“He slugged me in the jaw and knocked me on the ground,” Mrs Westmoreland said.

“I did not see it coming.”

She also denied that the altercation involved a push to the chest and maintained Mr Wishart allegedly hit her in the jaw.

‘Where’s the money?’: What neighbour says he heard

A neighbour told the court he heard “aggressive voices” outside on the night of the alleged murder.

Gordon Wilson was staying on the top floor at the Riviera Resort next to Tree Tops.

“We realised it (the noise) was something more aggressive than kids swimming in the pool,” he told the court.

Mr Briggs questioned Mr Wilson on his hearing and eyesight health as he was situated in a different property and on the sixth floor of the Riviera.

Mr Wilson said he could only see silhouettes in the dark and could not tell if they were men or women, before hearing the phrase “where’s the money” from a masculine voice.

“It sounded to me like the argument had finished when somebody walked away, and as they walked away, I heard more to the sentence when they said, ‘all I want to know is where’s the money’.”

The defence made no further submissions.

Mr Wishart will remain remanded in custody with no application for bail made.

He will face a trial at the Maryborough Supreme Court on a date to be notified by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Originally published as Joshua John Wishart charged with murder of Alfred Westmoreland at Hervey Bay