Man admits he killed teacher found in a wheelie bin
A Melbourne man has admitted to killing a teacher whose body was found inside a wheelie bin last year.
Stephen Fleming entered a guilty plea to manslaughter in the Victorian Supreme Court on Thursday after he was originally charged with the murder of Annette Brennan.
He admitted to killing the 67-year-old English teacher in Coolaroo, in Melbourne's north, on July 1, 2024.
Tip workers found Brennan's body while moving green waste at a facility in Epping on July 3, the court was previously told.
Fleming faced a sentence indication hearing on Tuesday, but the court was closed to the media.
Details of the manslaughter were not read out during Thursday's brief arraignment hearing.
Justice Christopher Beale remanded Fleming in custody ahead of his plea hearing in September.
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The Advertiser
10 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Apprentice never came home from work after supervisor's 'reckless, negligent choices'
THE mother of a young man killed when his supervisor lost control on a bend and slammed into a power pole at Cardiff has faced the driver in court and said her son's tragic death was the result of "gross, avoidable negligence". Apprentice carpenter Jacob Mostyn, 19, went to work and never came home on November 3, 2023, and now his mother, Christine, says she is living every parent's worst nightmare. Jacob's supervisor, 36-year-old Jeremy Howard, pleaded guilty to negligent driving occasioning death after he lost control of his BMW on a sweeping bend at Munibung Road at Cardiff and slid into a power pole. Jacob, a passenger in the car, was critically injured and died in hospital 11 days later. Howard faced a sentence hearing in Belmont Local Court on Thursday, during which Christine read a powerful victim impact statement, outlining the devastation the crash had caused her family and the promising young man Howard's "reckless choices" had taken away. "Jacob was a passenger in a vehicle driven by his supervisor," Christine said. "Someone entrusted with leadership, responsibility, and the safety of others. "But instead of exercising that duty with care, his supervisor made reckless, negligent choices behind the wheel. "Choices that cost Jacob his life. "Choices that shattered me, my family and his friends forever." Christine described getting the phone call about the crash and the realisation that "every parent's worst nightmare had just become my reality". "I can't describe to you what it's like to bury your child," Christine said. "There is no word in the English language for a parent who loses their child, because it is not supposed to happen. "It's unnatural. It's unbearable. This is my nightmare." Christine detailed all the important life events that had been stolen from her son, from finishing his apprenticeship to buying a home and having a family. "He didn't get to live," she said. "This was all stolen from him and us in a split second." She stressed that her son was not a statistic, that his life mattered and that his death was avoidable. "What makes this so much worse is knowing that his death didn't have to happen," Christine said. "The driver, Jeremy, made decisions that endangered not only my son's life but his own and everyone else on the road that day. "This was negligence. "Gross, avoidable negligence. "The kind that deserves accountability." Finally, with a framed photograph of her son held aloft beside her, she spoke directly to Howard. "I don't hate you," Christine said. "I don't know if I will ever be able to forgive you, but I want you to understand something; you didn't just end my son's life, you ended mine in many ways, too. "You took away my reason for getting up in the morning. "You took away a brother, a grandson, a friend, a mate, a partner, and a young man with so much life left to live. "I hope that you carry that weight every day. "And I hope that, one day, you truly understand the full consequences of what you have done." Crown prosecutor Jillian Kelton had argued the crash involved a significant degree of negligence because Howard was driving too quickly for the sweeping curve, was fatigued and had deactivated the BMW's traction control system, which she said may have prevented the crash. But defence barrister, Ben Bickford, said the degree of negligence was at a lower level and Howard had made an error in judgment and the impact with the pole had occurred a second after he lost traction. Magistrate Stephen Olischlager found the degree of negligence was significant but said Howard had no prior criminal record and was unlikely to re-offend. He said Howard would have to live with causing Jacob's death for the rest of his life and had the physical scars as a reminder of his mistake. Mr Olischlager said he would impose a nine-month sentence, but adjourned the matter until October to see whether Howard is suitable to serve the sentence in home detention as part of an intensive corrections order. THE mother of a young man killed when his supervisor lost control on a bend and slammed into a power pole at Cardiff has faced the driver in court and said her son's tragic death was the result of "gross, avoidable negligence". Apprentice carpenter Jacob Mostyn, 19, went to work and never came home on November 3, 2023, and now his mother, Christine, says she is living every parent's worst nightmare. Jacob's supervisor, 36-year-old Jeremy Howard, pleaded guilty to negligent driving occasioning death after he lost control of his BMW on a sweeping bend at Munibung Road at Cardiff and slid into a power pole. Jacob, a passenger in the car, was critically injured and died in hospital 11 days later. Howard faced a sentence hearing in Belmont Local Court on Thursday, during which Christine read a powerful victim impact statement, outlining the devastation the crash had caused her family and the promising young man Howard's "reckless choices" had taken away. "Jacob was a passenger in a vehicle driven by his supervisor," Christine said. "Someone entrusted with leadership, responsibility, and the safety of others. "But instead of exercising that duty with care, his supervisor made reckless, negligent choices behind the wheel. "Choices that cost Jacob his life. "Choices that shattered me, my family and his friends forever." Christine described getting the phone call about the crash and the realisation that "every parent's worst nightmare had just become my reality". "I can't describe to you what it's like to bury your child," Christine said. "There is no word in the English language for a parent who loses their child, because it is not supposed to happen. "It's unnatural. It's unbearable. This is my nightmare." Christine detailed all the important life events that had been stolen from her son, from finishing his apprenticeship to buying a home and having a family. "He didn't get to live," she said. "This was all stolen from him and us in a split second." She stressed that her son was not a statistic, that his life mattered and that his death was avoidable. "What makes this so much worse is knowing that his death didn't have to happen," Christine said. "The driver, Jeremy, made decisions that endangered not only my son's life but his own and everyone else on the road that day. "This was negligence. "Gross, avoidable negligence. "The kind that deserves accountability." Finally, with a framed photograph of her son held aloft beside her, she spoke directly to Howard. "I don't hate you," Christine said. "I don't know if I will ever be able to forgive you, but I want you to understand something; you didn't just end my son's life, you ended mine in many ways, too. "You took away my reason for getting up in the morning. "You took away a brother, a grandson, a friend, a mate, a partner, and a young man with so much life left to live. "I hope that you carry that weight every day. "And I hope that, one day, you truly understand the full consequences of what you have done." Crown prosecutor Jillian Kelton had argued the crash involved a significant degree of negligence because Howard was driving too quickly for the sweeping curve, was fatigued and had deactivated the BMW's traction control system, which she said may have prevented the crash. But defence barrister, Ben Bickford, said the degree of negligence was at a lower level and Howard had made an error in judgment and the impact with the pole had occurred a second after he lost traction. Magistrate Stephen Olischlager found the degree of negligence was significant but said Howard had no prior criminal record and was unlikely to re-offend. He said Howard would have to live with causing Jacob's death for the rest of his life and had the physical scars as a reminder of his mistake. Mr Olischlager said he would impose a nine-month sentence, but adjourned the matter until October to see whether Howard is suitable to serve the sentence in home detention as part of an intensive corrections order. THE mother of a young man killed when his supervisor lost control on a bend and slammed into a power pole at Cardiff has faced the driver in court and said her son's tragic death was the result of "gross, avoidable negligence". Apprentice carpenter Jacob Mostyn, 19, went to work and never came home on November 3, 2023, and now his mother, Christine, says she is living every parent's worst nightmare. Jacob's supervisor, 36-year-old Jeremy Howard, pleaded guilty to negligent driving occasioning death after he lost control of his BMW on a sweeping bend at Munibung Road at Cardiff and slid into a power pole. Jacob, a passenger in the car, was critically injured and died in hospital 11 days later. Howard faced a sentence hearing in Belmont Local Court on Thursday, during which Christine read a powerful victim impact statement, outlining the devastation the crash had caused her family and the promising young man Howard's "reckless choices" had taken away. "Jacob was a passenger in a vehicle driven by his supervisor," Christine said. "Someone entrusted with leadership, responsibility, and the safety of others. "But instead of exercising that duty with care, his supervisor made reckless, negligent choices behind the wheel. "Choices that cost Jacob his life. "Choices that shattered me, my family and his friends forever." Christine described getting the phone call about the crash and the realisation that "every parent's worst nightmare had just become my reality". "I can't describe to you what it's like to bury your child," Christine said. "There is no word in the English language for a parent who loses their child, because it is not supposed to happen. "It's unnatural. It's unbearable. This is my nightmare." Christine detailed all the important life events that had been stolen from her son, from finishing his apprenticeship to buying a home and having a family. "He didn't get to live," she said. "This was all stolen from him and us in a split second." She stressed that her son was not a statistic, that his life mattered and that his death was avoidable. "What makes this so much worse is knowing that his death didn't have to happen," Christine said. "The driver, Jeremy, made decisions that endangered not only my son's life but his own and everyone else on the road that day. "This was negligence. "Gross, avoidable negligence. "The kind that deserves accountability." Finally, with a framed photograph of her son held aloft beside her, she spoke directly to Howard. "I don't hate you," Christine said. "I don't know if I will ever be able to forgive you, but I want you to understand something; you didn't just end my son's life, you ended mine in many ways, too. "You took away my reason for getting up in the morning. "You took away a brother, a grandson, a friend, a mate, a partner, and a young man with so much life left to live. "I hope that you carry that weight every day. "And I hope that, one day, you truly understand the full consequences of what you have done." Crown prosecutor Jillian Kelton had argued the crash involved a significant degree of negligence because Howard was driving too quickly for the sweeping curve, was fatigued and had deactivated the BMW's traction control system, which she said may have prevented the crash. But defence barrister, Ben Bickford, said the degree of negligence was at a lower level and Howard had made an error in judgment and the impact with the pole had occurred a second after he lost traction. Magistrate Stephen Olischlager found the degree of negligence was significant but said Howard had no prior criminal record and was unlikely to re-offend. He said Howard would have to live with causing Jacob's death for the rest of his life and had the physical scars as a reminder of his mistake. Mr Olischlager said he would impose a nine-month sentence, but adjourned the matter until October to see whether Howard is suitable to serve the sentence in home detention as part of an intensive corrections order. THE mother of a young man killed when his supervisor lost control on a bend and slammed into a power pole at Cardiff has faced the driver in court and said her son's tragic death was the result of "gross, avoidable negligence". Apprentice carpenter Jacob Mostyn, 19, went to work and never came home on November 3, 2023, and now his mother, Christine, says she is living every parent's worst nightmare. Jacob's supervisor, 36-year-old Jeremy Howard, pleaded guilty to negligent driving occasioning death after he lost control of his BMW on a sweeping bend at Munibung Road at Cardiff and slid into a power pole. Jacob, a passenger in the car, was critically injured and died in hospital 11 days later. Howard faced a sentence hearing in Belmont Local Court on Thursday, during which Christine read a powerful victim impact statement, outlining the devastation the crash had caused her family and the promising young man Howard's "reckless choices" had taken away. "Jacob was a passenger in a vehicle driven by his supervisor," Christine said. "Someone entrusted with leadership, responsibility, and the safety of others. "But instead of exercising that duty with care, his supervisor made reckless, negligent choices behind the wheel. "Choices that cost Jacob his life. "Choices that shattered me, my family and his friends forever." Christine described getting the phone call about the crash and the realisation that "every parent's worst nightmare had just become my reality". "I can't describe to you what it's like to bury your child," Christine said. "There is no word in the English language for a parent who loses their child, because it is not supposed to happen. "It's unnatural. It's unbearable. This is my nightmare." Christine detailed all the important life events that had been stolen from her son, from finishing his apprenticeship to buying a home and having a family. "He didn't get to live," she said. "This was all stolen from him and us in a split second." She stressed that her son was not a statistic, that his life mattered and that his death was avoidable. "What makes this so much worse is knowing that his death didn't have to happen," Christine said. "The driver, Jeremy, made decisions that endangered not only my son's life but his own and everyone else on the road that day. "This was negligence. "Gross, avoidable negligence. "The kind that deserves accountability." Finally, with a framed photograph of her son held aloft beside her, she spoke directly to Howard. "I don't hate you," Christine said. "I don't know if I will ever be able to forgive you, but I want you to understand something; you didn't just end my son's life, you ended mine in many ways, too. "You took away my reason for getting up in the morning. "You took away a brother, a grandson, a friend, a mate, a partner, and a young man with so much life left to live. "I hope that you carry that weight every day. "And I hope that, one day, you truly understand the full consequences of what you have done." Crown prosecutor Jillian Kelton had argued the crash involved a significant degree of negligence because Howard was driving too quickly for the sweeping curve, was fatigued and had deactivated the BMW's traction control system, which she said may have prevented the crash. But defence barrister, Ben Bickford, said the degree of negligence was at a lower level and Howard had made an error in judgment and the impact with the pole had occurred a second after he lost traction. Magistrate Stephen Olischlager found the degree of negligence was significant but said Howard had no prior criminal record and was unlikely to re-offend. He said Howard would have to live with causing Jacob's death for the rest of his life and had the physical scars as a reminder of his mistake. Mr Olischlager said he would impose a nine-month sentence, but adjourned the matter until October to see whether Howard is suitable to serve the sentence in home detention as part of an intensive corrections order.
Perth Now
12 hours ago
- Perth Now
Case against cold case murder accused is 'weak': lawyer
An accused murderer should be released on bail because the prosecution's weak case centres around an unreliable key witness, a barrister has argued. Steven Johnson, 73, made the application in the Victorian Supreme Court on Thursday after he was charged in March with the cold case murder of Christopher Jarvis. Mr Jarvis, 38, was last seen leaving his home in Wangoom, near Warrnambool, in Victoria's west, in June 2006. His body has not yet been found but police believe it is buried in Framlingham Forest, a native woodland owned by an Indigenous trust. Johnson was first charged with Mr Jarvis' murder in November 2022 but the charge was dropped in August 2023. His alleged co-accused Glenn Fenwick ultimately pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter after agreeing to make a statement to police against Johnson. Fenwick, who could be released on parole as early as October, claims he joined Johnson in confronting Mr Jarvis over outstanding rent. It's alleged Johnson struck Mr Jarvis in his driveway, threw him to the ground and then fired a starter pistol near his ear when he would not stop screaming for help. Fenwick claims he only helped hold Mr Jarvis down and then load him into the boot of the car, before they all drove to Framlingham Forest. It's alleged Johnson then struck Mr Jarvis to the head with a baseball bat before removing his clothes and burying him in a shallow grave. Fenwick received a discounted sentence because he assisted police and will give evidence against Johnson in court. Johnson's barrister Patrick Doyle SC argued there were real issues with Fenwick's evidence, given his account had changed over the years. Mr Doyle pointed to an earlier claim from Fenwick that he and Johnson both "bashed" Mr Jarvis with a tomahawk and cut off his fingers. Fenwick also previously described assaulting Mr Jarvis while he was in the boot of the car, the court was told. Those allegations were not in the signed statement Fenwick provided to police, Mr Doyle noted. The barrister said the discrepancies in Fenwick's story and the fact he made the statement to receive a discounted sentence would give the jury reason to pause. "There are plainly problems with this crown case," the barrister argued. "The case is weak and readily defensible." Mr Doyle claimed there was limited other evidence connecting Johnson to the crime and there was a strong chance he would be acquitted. The barrister also pointed to Johnson's old age, medical issues and previous good record on bail as reasons why he should be released from custody. Prosecutor Jenaya Ellis argued the prosecution's case was far from weak, saying Fenwick's statement was compelling alongside the other evidence. She noted an imitation pistol was found at Johnson's home during a 2022 search and he was seen grading Mr Jarvis' driveway hours after the alleged murder. Ms Ellis also claimed Johnson was an unacceptable risk of trying to interfere with Fenwick or move Mr Jarvis' body if released. Justice Rita Incerti is due to hand down her bail decision on Friday.
ABC News
16 hours ago
- ABC News
Stephen Fleming pleads guilty to manslaughter of Annette Brennan whose body was dumped in a bin in Coolaroo
A man has pleaded guilty to killing a woman whose body was found in a rubbish tip in Melbourne's north last year. Stephen Fleming faced the Supreme Court of Victoria on Thursday morning, where he pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 67-year-old Annette Brennan. Police said they believed Ms Brennan's body was dumped in a bin outside a property in Coolaroo, before it was discovered by staff at an Epping waste management facility on July 3, 2024. The pair were known to each other, police said last year. Ms Brennan, a teacher, was well-known within Melbourne's Indonesian community and was a member of the Brunswick Indonesian Uniting Church congregation. Fleming was originally charged with murder and pleaded not guilty in January 2025. Earlier this week, he faced a sentence indication hearing, where accused people are typically told what sentence they could receive if they plead guilty. The hearing took place in a closed court. Then on Thursday, the Supreme Court heard Fleming would be pleading guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. Details of Fleming's offence were not aired in court, other than that the killing took place around July 1, 2024, two days before the body was found. Fleming, who was dressed in a grey prison jumper, was not required to speak at the hearing other than to tell the court that he would plead guilty to the manslaughter charge. The offence carries a maximum of 25 years' jail. Fleming will face a pre-sentence hearing before Justice Christopher Beale on September 29, where Ms Brennan's loved ones will be allowed to make victim impact statements.
