Chardon rant at friend
Questions about Novy’s whereabouts met with expletive-laden tirade
JOHN Chardon was sleeping with teenagers and hired prostitutes when he travelled overseas, despite still being married to Novy Chardon, a court was told.
And when confronted about Novy’s disappearance, the lubricant manufacturer allegedly lashed out in an expletive-laden rant.
Chardon, 71, has pleaded not guilty in the Supreme Court in Brisbane to Novy’s murder on or about February 6, 2013 in Upper Coomera.
On the second day of the trial, the jury was told:
Chardon made sexually explicit comments when he propositioned Novy’s best friend the day after his wife’s disappearance.
Novy had bought a house in Indonesia which Chardon did not know about.
She had a secret stash of about $70,000.
Novy told many friends about the unhappy marriage and that she wanted out.
Novy had a boyfriend called Ben who broke up with her the September before she disappeared.
Novy’s friend Deborah Manduapessy said in the days after Novy disappeared she confronted Chardon by phone and asked what he had done to his wife, the court was told.
She said he launched into an expletive-laden rant she did not want to repeat in court.
“Along the lines of you are overthinking, you are making an exaggeration,” she said.
“She is only taking time off and she is an evil person and she is greedy.”
Ms Manduapessy said she did not remember when she made the phone call but knew it was in the days after Novy went missing.
Novy had confided in her that Chardon was having sex with other women, Ms Manduapessy told the court.
“She told me he had been sleeping with other women and that he was sleeping with children in Indonesia and Philippines – not children, 16 or 17 years old,” she said.
One by one yesterday afternoon friends of Novy gave details to the court about the unhappy marriage between Chardon and Novy, saying she “hated him” and called him names and that she knew John was having affairs.
Friends said Novy had also told them police had been to their home after a gun safe was ripped out of the ground in their garage.
Earlier, Novy’s best friend Frederika Wong told the jury that Chardon propositioned her the day after Novy went missing.
Ms Wong said he asked “if my husband made me happy”.
The court was told Chardon asked Ms Wong if her husband performed a particular sex act before making further sexually explicit comments.
The comments were made when Ms Wong went to Chardon’s house after Novy did not show for a coffee date at Robina Town Centre on February 7, 2013.
Ms Wong told the court Chardon answered the door and their two young children told her that mummy had left.
She said Chardon told her Novy had “packed her s--- in the luggage and is gone”.
Chardon then began to complain about how Novy left the house messy and never cleaned, Ms Wong told the jury.
Ms Wong said Chardon took her into Novy’s bedroom which looked unusually clean.
“When I stepped into the main bedroom the carpet felt a bit wet,” she said.
She was bare foot and it felt like the carpet had been “steam mopped”, the jury was told.
Novy purchased a house in Indonesia in the months before she disappeared, Ms Wong said.
She told the jury that the month before her disappearance, Novy took a number of household items such as clocks and cutlery from Australia to the house.
She said she heard Novy tell her daughter as they drove to the airport: “If daddy asks where you are staying tell daddy we are staying at Nanna’s house.”
Chardon was not aware of Novy’s Indonesian home or the $70,000 she had “stashed somewhere”, the court was told.
Ms Wong said Novy mentioned Chardon had called police in 2010 or 2011 after an argument with Novy.
She said Novy had told her she had broken an expensive vase during her fight with Chardon.
Chardon took out a domestic violence order against Novy.
Ms Wong gave details of a troubled marriage and after that fight the pair separated but remained in the same house for the sake of the children.
She said Novy began to have panic attacks in 2009.
In 2012, Novy had a boyfriend, Ben, who she would see on the Sunshine Coast, the jury was told. The trial continues on Monday.