Rohen Hanson told 'lie after lie' after death of Dee Annear, Bulga Forest murder trial hears

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14-07-2025

A court has heard that evidence given by a man accused of murdering his partner in a remote cabin in New South Wales was false should be disregarded.
Closing arguments have been heard in the trial of Rohen James Hanson, 42, who allegedly killed Dee Annear, 34, in 2021.
Ms Annear's body was found outside a logger's cabin in Bulga Forest on the NSW Mid North Coast on September 18 that year.
An autopsy found she had died from blunt force trauma at about 12am that night.
Mr Hanson told police Ms Annear had succumbed to injuries she had sustained in a car crash the night before on Pole Dark Road, 3.5 kilometres away from cabin.
But the prosecution and defence agreed the story was a lie that Mr Hanson had repeated to triple-zero operators, first responders and investigating officers in a police interview on September 19, 2021.
In his closing argument before the Supreme Court in Newcastle on Monday Crown prosecutor Carl Young told the jurors they could not rely on anything Mr Hanson said regarding the death of Ms Annear.
"Mr Hanson had no difficulty telling police lie after lie," Mr Young said.
Defence barrister Peter Krisenthal said Mr Hanson had been trapped in a lie after making up "a nonsense explanation in an attempt to shield himself from the consequences" of Ms Annear's death.
Mr Krisenthal argued that Mr Hanson had made full and frank admissions in his second police interview on September 21.
In that interview Mr Hanson told police that the pair had a fight at the cabin and that he had tackled her into a wall in self-defence after she hit him in the head with a beer bottle.
But Mr Young said the second interview was full of inconsistencies and and that the jury should reject this evidence outright.
"[Mr Hanson] has consistently told lies about what happened," Mr Young said.
Throughout the trial the court heard of the violence and alcohol abuse that marred the relationship between Mr Hanson, from Wingham on the NSW Mid North Coast, and Ms Annear.
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Mr Young said evidence from multiple neighbours and relatives, including Ms Annear's mother, showed that Mr Hanson had "a tendency to physically assault Ms Annear during an argument".
Mr Krisenthal agreed that the relationship had "a very sad propensity" for arguments and violence, but that it was instigated from both sides.
The prosecution told the jury that at the time of her death Ms Annear had fractures to her skull, jaw, nose and ribs, lacerations to her lungs, a strangulation injury and more than 100 bruises, lacerations and scratches.
"This was no normal scrap fight," Mr Young said.
The prosecutor argued that given the number and severity of the injuries, Mr Hanson intended to kill or cause very serious bodily harm to Ms Annear "regardless of whether Mr Hanson later regretted this intention".
Mr Kristenthal argued that physical fights were commonplace in the relationship and that Mr Hanson always believed Ms Annear would "pull through".
"As unpalatable as that situation is, this was a fight or an assault that was part of a relationship," Mr Krisenthal said.
He told the jury Mr Hanson accepted criminal responsibility regarding Ms Annear's death, as seen by his attempt to plead guilty to manslaughter at the start of the proceedings.
"You might feel anger at Mr Hanson because of some of his actions, because of some of his choices," Mr Krisenthal said.
"But you need to identify those feelings and put them aside."
Justice Ian Harrison will continue giving instructions to the jurors on Tuesday before they begin their deliberations.