Shock killing of Kiwi goes before jury in Brisbane

Young mother left unrecognisable after beating with metal from fire hydrant

The man accused of murdering Kiwi-born mum Tara Brown after he allegedly ran her car off the road on the Gold Coast will go on trial today. Brown, 24, died as a result of injuries she suffered during a brutal attack on a Gold Coast street in September 2015.

It is alleged that her estranged partner Lionel Patea followed Brown after she dropped their daughter off at preschool, ramming her vehicle off the road and beating her to death as she lay trapped down an embankment on a suburban street.

Police have accused Patea of picking up a metal plate that had come loose from a footpath hydrant and hitting Brown around the head until she was unrecognisable.

Patea, described by witnesses as bloodied and dazed, then allegedly stole a car and fled.

Hours later, he walked into the Coomera police station with selfinflicted stab wounds to his chest and abdomen.

He was taken to the same hospital where Brown was on life support, surrounded by her family.

The Red Rose Rally will be held outside the Brisbane Supreme Court to honour and remember Tara Brown as the murder trial of her ex-partner begins. Poster

She died soon after. He was charged with her murder.

Patea will go on trial before Justice Debra Mullins and a jury in the Brisbane Supreme Court today. The Herald will be reporting live from the trial until the jurors reach a verdict.

Brown was born in New Zealand and had been living on the Gold Coast.

According to Patea’s Facebook page, he is from Whanganui.

The Crown is expected to spend five days presenting its case.

Then, likely early next week, the Crown and defence will deliver closing addresses, Justice Mullins will sum up the case and the jury will be sent to deliberate.

Australia’s Red Rose Foundation, a group that works to raise awareness about family violence through education, research and advocacy, is calling on the public to support the family of Tara Brown.

They plan to hold a rally outside the Supreme Court on the first day of her alleged murderer’s trial.

“The Red Rose Rally will be held outside the Brisbane Supreme Court to honour and remember Tara Brown as the murder trial of her ex-partner begins,” a poster for the event said.

“This specific Red Rose Rally is being held at the request of her mother Natalie — a Red Rose advocate,” the notice said.