Murder case back in court

Police brief still incomplete

AFTER almost two years since the charred body of 63-yearold Peter Weaver was found inside a burnt out Toowoomba home, the police brief of evidence was almost complete, a court has been told.

The case against Mr Weaver’s accused killer Phillip Alastair Harris has been delayed with his legal representatives waiting for the police brief of evidence, including DNA results, to be completed and disclosed to the defence, the court heard.

However, during a brief mention of the case before Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Thursday, Harris’s solicitor Phil Stainton, of Legal Aid Queensland’s Toowoomba office, said more material had been disclosed just prior to court but now the defence was waiting for just one more statement.

Mr Stainton asked for a one month adjournment with the hope that statement would by then be provided.

Harris, 29, has been held in custody since his arrest the day after police and emergency services were called to a house fire in Rivett St, South Toowoomba, on the night of Sunday, December 15, 2019.

Fire crews extinguishing the fire found the dismembered body of Mr Weaver inside the house along with the dismembered remains of a dog.

Harris has not as yet been required to enter any pleas to charges of murder, misconduct with a corpse, arson, serious animal cruelty, entering a dwelling and committing an indictable offence and serious assault of police.

Magistrate Graham Lee remanded Harris in custody and adjourned the case for mention back in the same court on September 23.