MAN FACES MURDER TRIAL
EX-GIRLFRIEND TELLS HEARING OF CAR CONFESSION
THE man accused of killing a 73-year-old woman over a $400 payment dispute has been committed to stand trial.
Mark Daniel Ferguson faced Townsville Magistrates Court yesterday charged with murdering Pamela Frances Corless with a timber plank in her back garden on September 2, 2018.
Police allege Ferguson murdered Ms Corless over an unpaid bill for wardrobe renovation work he was hired to complete at her Cranbrook home and then confessed to his girlfriend on the way home.
THE man accused of killing a 73year-old woman over a $400 payment dispute has been committed to stand trial.
Mark Daniel Ferguson faced Townsville Magistrates Court yesterday charged with murdering Pamela Frances Corless with a timber plank in her back garden on September 2, 2018.
Ferguson is also charged with one count of wilful damage and one count of enter dwelling and commit indictable offence.
Police allege he murdered Ms Corless over an unpaid bill for wardrobe renovation work he was hired to do at her Cranbrook home.
Police prosecutor Bimal Raut wheeled in 116 witness statements and 133 exhibits on a trolley that he presented to the court as evidence.
The committal hearing saw defence barrister Frank Richards crossexamine two witnesses the prosecution intends to call at the trial.
Ferguson’s girlfriend at the time of the murder, Louise Marie Davis, was called to give evidence at the hearing, becoming emotional throughout her questioning.
Ms Davis said Ms Corless was not happy with the job Ferguson did with the wardrobe renovations.
Ms Davis said she had accompanied Ferguson to Ms Corless’s house on the day of the murder to settle the bill for the renovations.
She waited in the car as Ferguson jumped the fence on to Ms Corless’s property and not long after Ms Davis said she heard the sound of glass smashing on the ground.
Ms Davis told Mr Richards she then heard Ms Corless say: “Get out of my house.”
When Ferguson returned to the car about 15 minutes later, Ms Davis said he told her: “Baby, take me home.”
On the drive home, she said Ferguson confessed: “I smashed a couple of windows and knocked her out with a piece of timber.”
Mr Richards told the court “a piece of wood was found at the scene which was 1.5 metres in length and 700mm by 35mm in dimensions”.
Dr Paul Botterill was called to give evidence about Ms Corless’s autopsy report findings.
Ms Corless’s daughter and sonin-law were present in court to hear the evidence with Magistrate Steven Mosch warning the family of the potentially confronting evidence they were about to hear.
Dr Botterill explained Ms Corless sustained a 65mm linear laceration to the back left of her head that extended through the full thickness of the scalp.
When asked what sort of force would have been used to inflict Ms Corless’s injuries, Dr Botterill replied “severe force”.
“Generally things like a fall from behind or blunt-force contact with implements will result in the sort of injuries … present here,” he said.
The cause of death was initially reported as blunt-force head injury with possible contribution of underlying coronary artery disease and alcohol or drug intoxication.
Dr Botterill told Mr Richards further testing ruled out alcohol or drug intoxication.
“It is still not possible for me to completely exclude the possibility that there had been an irregularity in a heartbeat that had caused … light-headedness or dizziness ... therefore causing her to fall and strike her head upon a structure.”
The matter will stand trial in the Townsville Supreme Court at a date yet to be determined.