Inquest into suspected murder of Leisl Smith told sightings were 'red herrings'
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that the following article contains the name and image of a woman who has died. The family has given permission to use the image and the name.
An inquest into the disappearance of a New South Wales woman has heard there have been unconfirmed sightings of her since her alleged killer was found dead before a verdict was reached in his 2022 trial.
It has been 13 years since Leisl Smith disappeared at the age of 23.
Her car was found abandoned at Tuggerah railway station on the Central Coast in August 2012 and she CCTV footage showed her getting into a white ute that then drove away.
Ms Smith's body has never been found but is believed to be buried in bushland in the Upper Hunter Valley.
James Scott Church pleaded not guilty to her murder and stood trial before Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Fullerton in 2022.
The trial heard Ms Smith had told Mr Church she was pregnant with his child.
The court was told he wanted to pursue another woman.
A day before verdict the 51-year-old took his own life.
As a result Justice Fullerton said she was bound by law to seal her judgement.
This week an inquest is being held before Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame into Ms Smith's suspected death.
On Wednesday family members were given the chance to deliver statements paying tribute to Ms Smith.
Her mother, Sandi Harvey, read out a poem in court.
"My heart aches, my tears flow, friends support me, I say, 'why did you go?'" Ms Harvey recited.
"Your future was taken, all too fast, and now we all wait for the dye to be cast."
Ms Smith's sister, Jerildine Cane, said the lack of a verdict added to her grief.
"It has repeatedly crossed my mind what she felt, how terrified she must have been," Ms Cane said.
Mick Jones, the police officer in charge of the investigation, told the inquest that searches on the Central Coast and in the Hunter had returned no sign of Ms Smith.
He told the inquest Ms Smith's bank account had not been touched.
But Detective Sergeant Jones told counsel assisting, Gabrielle Bashir SC, that Crime Stoppers had received reports of several suspected sightings.
"Have there been any more reported sightings of Leisl since the trial and have they been investigated?" Ms Bashir asked.
"Yes, they have to a degree," he said.
"There were a couple of sightings and they came through the form on Crime Stoppers.
But Sergeant Jones said the information led nowhere.
"Unfortunately we can't investigate something like that," he said.
"The information came in as anonymous, so we have no way of testing the veracity of that."
Sergeant Jones said the descriptions "were very, very general" and "red herrings".
Sergeant Jones told the inquest he had no doubt Ms Smith was dead.
"I believe Jim Church collected Leisl and took her up into an area which I believe is in the Goulburn River National Park," he said.
The inquest heard about a second person of interest, Craig Elkin, who Ms Smith had reconnected with after his stint in jail, a month before she vanished.
Ms Bashir SC said Mr Elkin was subject to an apprehended violence order (AVO) relating to Ms Smith.
"He had been arrested on drug-supply charges and a breach [of] AVO related to Leisl," she said.
Ms Bashir then went through dozens of telephone and SMS messages sent by Ms Smith to Mr Elkin.
Sergeant Jones said she was "a prolific communicator on the phone".
He said based on the evidence available Mr Elkin had been ruled out as a potential killer.
Mr Elkin's body was found in the Hunter River in 2015.
Police did not treat his death as suspicious.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
5 hours ago
- ABC News
Man missing for nearly two weeks in Flinders Ranges found safe
South Australian police say missing man Kyle has been found safe and well after he went missing for nearly two weeks in the northern Flinders Ranges. Police issued a call for assistance on Wednesday for Kyle, 39, who was last seen at Arkaroola Village around midday on June 1. Kyle, who was driving a white rental van, said he was going to return on June 7. Police launched a ground and aerial search of the Arkaroola area after receiving a missing person report. Just before 6pm on Thursday, SA Police issued a statement advising that Kyle "has been located safe and well". "Thank you to the public for their assistance," the statement read.
The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- The Advertiser
'He's dead bro', GP murder accused says after stabbing
A panicked teenager allegedly told friends he only realised the knife he used to stab a doctor to death "was actually going in" after two strikes. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty to one count of murdering GP Ash Gordon and guilty to two counts of aggravated burglary after breaking into his home. The accused had attended a house house party in Doncaster, in Melbourne's northeast on January 12, 2024, when just after 4am the next day, he and another boy decided to "take" a black Mercedes they had seen at a home down the road, prosecutor Kristie Churchill told a Supreme Court jury on Thursday. The pair walked over to the residence, where inside the three-story townhouse and asleep in their rooms were Dr Gordon and his housemate on the first and third floors, respectively. The pair broke in by sliding under the garage door before stealing shoes, headphones, laptops and silver necklaces belonging to Dr Gordon. Upon returning to their friend's house, the boys "boasted about things they stole" and planned to return again, the prosecutor said. Two more teens joined the pair, with the four captured on CCTV wearing gloves, balaclavas, face masks and hats. The prosector alleged they again slipped under the garage door but this time, they don't go undetected. "Hello boys," Dr Gordon said, after being awoken by the intruders, prompting the teens to run outside. The GP's housemate had told him they should call police but Dr Gordon said, "We'll call them later. We need to get our stuff back". After catching up with three of the teens outside his driveway, two of them jumped the fence, leaving the accused who the GP attempted to restrain, the prosecutor said. During the scuffle, the teen allegedly pulled out a knife and inflicted 11 sharp injuries, leaving the victim laying on the ground. "One of those penetrated Dr Gordon's chest cavity which killed him," Ms Churchill said. Two teens jumped back over the fence after the accused yelled for help before one allegedly kicked the victim in the face so forcefully that his "eyes rolled into the back of his head". After fleeing, the panicked accused allegedly told the others he had "stabbed a guy" four to five times. "Shit, just killed a guy. Like he's dead bro," the accused allegedly said. "The first two times I stabbed him I didn't realise (the knife) was going in. After the next few times I realised it was actually going in." On January 14, the accused and two others met up at an apartment in Melbourne's inner-south, where they discussed fleeing the country and no snitching. Three days later, police attended the apartment and arrested the accused, where they also found a silver chain allegedly belonging to Dr Gordon. Defence barrister Amelia Beech urged the jury to look at the evidence and approach the trial as if it was a "task of the mind, not a task of the heart". Ms Beech accepted jury members may have heard about the issue of youth crime in Victoria and how it has become "political fodder". She said the case was just about what happened between Dr Gordon and the accused at 5.27am on 13 January, 2024. "You can't send a message to the attorney-general or the premier here in this court," she said. The trial continues. A panicked teenager allegedly told friends he only realised the knife he used to stab a doctor to death "was actually going in" after two strikes. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty to one count of murdering GP Ash Gordon and guilty to two counts of aggravated burglary after breaking into his home. The accused had attended a house house party in Doncaster, in Melbourne's northeast on January 12, 2024, when just after 4am the next day, he and another boy decided to "take" a black Mercedes they had seen at a home down the road, prosecutor Kristie Churchill told a Supreme Court jury on Thursday. The pair walked over to the residence, where inside the three-story townhouse and asleep in their rooms were Dr Gordon and his housemate on the first and third floors, respectively. The pair broke in by sliding under the garage door before stealing shoes, headphones, laptops and silver necklaces belonging to Dr Gordon. Upon returning to their friend's house, the boys "boasted about things they stole" and planned to return again, the prosecutor said. Two more teens joined the pair, with the four captured on CCTV wearing gloves, balaclavas, face masks and hats. The prosector alleged they again slipped under the garage door but this time, they don't go undetected. "Hello boys," Dr Gordon said, after being awoken by the intruders, prompting the teens to run outside. The GP's housemate had told him they should call police but Dr Gordon said, "We'll call them later. We need to get our stuff back". After catching up with three of the teens outside his driveway, two of them jumped the fence, leaving the accused who the GP attempted to restrain, the prosecutor said. During the scuffle, the teen allegedly pulled out a knife and inflicted 11 sharp injuries, leaving the victim laying on the ground. "One of those penetrated Dr Gordon's chest cavity which killed him," Ms Churchill said. Two teens jumped back over the fence after the accused yelled for help before one allegedly kicked the victim in the face so forcefully that his "eyes rolled into the back of his head". After fleeing, the panicked accused allegedly told the others he had "stabbed a guy" four to five times. "Shit, just killed a guy. Like he's dead bro," the accused allegedly said. "The first two times I stabbed him I didn't realise (the knife) was going in. After the next few times I realised it was actually going in." On January 14, the accused and two others met up at an apartment in Melbourne's inner-south, where they discussed fleeing the country and no snitching. Three days later, police attended the apartment and arrested the accused, where they also found a silver chain allegedly belonging to Dr Gordon. Defence barrister Amelia Beech urged the jury to look at the evidence and approach the trial as if it was a "task of the mind, not a task of the heart". Ms Beech accepted jury members may have heard about the issue of youth crime in Victoria and how it has become "political fodder". She said the case was just about what happened between Dr Gordon and the accused at 5.27am on 13 January, 2024. "You can't send a message to the attorney-general or the premier here in this court," she said. The trial continues. A panicked teenager allegedly told friends he only realised the knife he used to stab a doctor to death "was actually going in" after two strikes. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty to one count of murdering GP Ash Gordon and guilty to two counts of aggravated burglary after breaking into his home. The accused had attended a house house party in Doncaster, in Melbourne's northeast on January 12, 2024, when just after 4am the next day, he and another boy decided to "take" a black Mercedes they had seen at a home down the road, prosecutor Kristie Churchill told a Supreme Court jury on Thursday. The pair walked over to the residence, where inside the three-story townhouse and asleep in their rooms were Dr Gordon and his housemate on the first and third floors, respectively. The pair broke in by sliding under the garage door before stealing shoes, headphones, laptops and silver necklaces belonging to Dr Gordon. Upon returning to their friend's house, the boys "boasted about things they stole" and planned to return again, the prosecutor said. Two more teens joined the pair, with the four captured on CCTV wearing gloves, balaclavas, face masks and hats. The prosector alleged they again slipped under the garage door but this time, they don't go undetected. "Hello boys," Dr Gordon said, after being awoken by the intruders, prompting the teens to run outside. The GP's housemate had told him they should call police but Dr Gordon said, "We'll call them later. We need to get our stuff back". After catching up with three of the teens outside his driveway, two of them jumped the fence, leaving the accused who the GP attempted to restrain, the prosecutor said. During the scuffle, the teen allegedly pulled out a knife and inflicted 11 sharp injuries, leaving the victim laying on the ground. "One of those penetrated Dr Gordon's chest cavity which killed him," Ms Churchill said. Two teens jumped back over the fence after the accused yelled for help before one allegedly kicked the victim in the face so forcefully that his "eyes rolled into the back of his head". After fleeing, the panicked accused allegedly told the others he had "stabbed a guy" four to five times. "Shit, just killed a guy. Like he's dead bro," the accused allegedly said. "The first two times I stabbed him I didn't realise (the knife) was going in. After the next few times I realised it was actually going in." On January 14, the accused and two others met up at an apartment in Melbourne's inner-south, where they discussed fleeing the country and no snitching. Three days later, police attended the apartment and arrested the accused, where they also found a silver chain allegedly belonging to Dr Gordon. Defence barrister Amelia Beech urged the jury to look at the evidence and approach the trial as if it was a "task of the mind, not a task of the heart". Ms Beech accepted jury members may have heard about the issue of youth crime in Victoria and how it has become "political fodder". She said the case was just about what happened between Dr Gordon and the accused at 5.27am on 13 January, 2024. "You can't send a message to the attorney-general or the premier here in this court," she said. The trial continues. A panicked teenager allegedly told friends he only realised the knife he used to stab a doctor to death "was actually going in" after two strikes. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty to one count of murdering GP Ash Gordon and guilty to two counts of aggravated burglary after breaking into his home. The accused had attended a house house party in Doncaster, in Melbourne's northeast on January 12, 2024, when just after 4am the next day, he and another boy decided to "take" a black Mercedes they had seen at a home down the road, prosecutor Kristie Churchill told a Supreme Court jury on Thursday. The pair walked over to the residence, where inside the three-story townhouse and asleep in their rooms were Dr Gordon and his housemate on the first and third floors, respectively. The pair broke in by sliding under the garage door before stealing shoes, headphones, laptops and silver necklaces belonging to Dr Gordon. Upon returning to their friend's house, the boys "boasted about things they stole" and planned to return again, the prosecutor said. Two more teens joined the pair, with the four captured on CCTV wearing gloves, balaclavas, face masks and hats. The prosector alleged they again slipped under the garage door but this time, they don't go undetected. "Hello boys," Dr Gordon said, after being awoken by the intruders, prompting the teens to run outside. The GP's housemate had told him they should call police but Dr Gordon said, "We'll call them later. We need to get our stuff back". After catching up with three of the teens outside his driveway, two of them jumped the fence, leaving the accused who the GP attempted to restrain, the prosecutor said. During the scuffle, the teen allegedly pulled out a knife and inflicted 11 sharp injuries, leaving the victim laying on the ground. "One of those penetrated Dr Gordon's chest cavity which killed him," Ms Churchill said. Two teens jumped back over the fence after the accused yelled for help before one allegedly kicked the victim in the face so forcefully that his "eyes rolled into the back of his head". After fleeing, the panicked accused allegedly told the others he had "stabbed a guy" four to five times. "Shit, just killed a guy. Like he's dead bro," the accused allegedly said. "The first two times I stabbed him I didn't realise (the knife) was going in. After the next few times I realised it was actually going in." On January 14, the accused and two others met up at an apartment in Melbourne's inner-south, where they discussed fleeing the country and no snitching. Three days later, police attended the apartment and arrested the accused, where they also found a silver chain allegedly belonging to Dr Gordon. Defence barrister Amelia Beech urged the jury to look at the evidence and approach the trial as if it was a "task of the mind, not a task of the heart". Ms Beech accepted jury members may have heard about the issue of youth crime in Victoria and how it has become "political fodder". She said the case was just about what happened between Dr Gordon and the accused at 5.27am on 13 January, 2024. "You can't send a message to the attorney-general or the premier here in this court," she said. The trial continues.
The Age
6 hours ago
- The Age
‘He's full dead, bro': Distressing final moments of stabbing death of doctor aired in court
A teenager told his friends 'just killed a guy. Like, he's dead bro', after stabbing a Melbourne doctor in the driveway of a Doncaster street. The then-16-year-old had broken into the Doncaster home of doctor Ashley Gordon twice in one night to steal shoes, jewellery and electronics. The teenager also allegedly showed the bloodied knife to friends before saying he needed to burn his clothes, a court has heard. The now 17-year-old, who cannot be named due to his age, has pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated burglary and not guilty to a charge of murder. On the first day of the trial into the 33-year-old's alleged murder, distressing details of the doctor's final moments, and the two home invasions that preceded his death, were aired in the Supreme Court. The court heard the boy and his co-accused, who was also 16 at the time, had been drinking at a friend's party at a house in the same street as Gordon's home on the evening of January 12 last year. The other, now 17-year-old boy, has also been charged over Gordon's death and will face a separate trial. The hearing was told in the early hours of January 13 the two teenage boys began talking about stealing a black Mercedes they had seen parked in Gordon's garage. The court was told that some time after 3am the teenage boy, and his co-accused left the party and walked to Gordon's home, which he shared with his lifelong friend, Tristen Standing.
