Couple tried to hide housemate’s murder

CONVICTED killer Ian Rosewall admitted to a forensic psychologist that he had bashed his 24-year-old victim, Tyson Clark-Robertson, repeatedly in the head with a hammer, a court has heard.

But once he realised Mr Clark-Robertson wasn’t breathing, Rosewall, now 47, decided not to call an ambulance because he was the subject of outstanding warrants over driving matters and didn’t want to get in trouble.

Instead, Rosewall and his girlfriend, Renae Lorraine Donald, embarked on what Crown prosecutor John Ransom described as a “joint and sophisticated strategy to prevent (the murder) from being discovered by (Mr Clark-Robertson’s) family or the police”.

The Supreme Court in Launceston yesterday heard Rosewall and Mr Clark-Robertson were putting up curtains in the Mayfield home they shared with Donald and another man, Robert William Broad, on the day of the mur- der in July 2016. Mr Ransom said Rosewall and Mr ClarkRobertson had been drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis and it was after Mr Clark-Robertson told Rosewall: “get me another cone, you pedo dog”, that the older man became enraged.

The court heard Rosewall told Mr Clark-Robertson to repeat what he had said and, after the victim did so, Rosewall struck him about five times with the hammer they had been using to install the curtains.

Rosewall told the psychologist he “was not trying to cave his head in” and “would’ve given CPR if he knew how to do it”, Mr Ransom said.

The court heard Mr ClarkRobertson’s body was first placed in a shed at the back of the property, before it was later buried in the yard, about five metres from the back door.

Prosecutors alleged that Donald found out about the murder later than evening, when she overheard Rosewall telling Broad — who worked long hours at a sawmill and was often away from home — that Mr Clark-Robertson had been killed and that his body was in the shed.

Rosewall and Donald then assumed Mr Clark-Robertson’s identity by collecting his disability pension and using his Facebook account to send messages to friends and relatives, to make them think he was still alive.

The court heard Donald, who was 18 at the time and had previously been in a relationship with Mr Clark-Robertson, used his account to send a message to the victim’s father, Timothy Clark, on the night of the murder.

Mr Clark received messages over the following months from Donald, purporting to be his son, claiming the pair were still in a relationship, that she was expecting twins and requesting money.

But Mr Clark became suspicious about the messages and his son’s apparent refusal to speak to him on the phone and eventually contacted police.

Rosewall and Donald were arrested in April 2017, after Mr Clark-Robertson’s decomposed body was found in a shallow grave at the home.

The pair told police in interviews that they believed Mr Clark-Robertson was still alive and that Donald had continued to receive his pension in her bank account and that Rosewall would give the money to Mr Clark-Robertson weekly in cash. Rosewall pleaded guilty to Mr ClarkRobertson’s murder only after he disclosed what he’d done in an interview with a forensic psychologist, while Donald then pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mr Clark-Robertson’s father said he battled severe depression and anxiety after his son’s murder.

“Although I’m no longer required to give evidence, I have to live with the emotional aftermath — my life will never be the same again,” he said.

Lawyers for Rosewall and Donald asked for the case to be adjourned for sentencing, indicating they had sought expert reports into their respective clients’ health.

Justice Robert Pearce remanded both in custody, with Donald next due to appear on Friday, and Rosewall to appear on April 5. Broad was last year sentenced to 12 months’ jail, wholly suspended, after a jury found him guilty of failing to report the murder.