Maree Vermont's killer Timothy Loosemore maintains he has no memory of her death
In short:
A farmstay guest found guilty of manslaughter over the death of a central Victorian woman maintains he has no memory of what happened.
Maree Vermont's family and friends told the Supreme Court about the devastation of her loss in 2023.
What's next?
Timothy Loosemore is expected to be sentenced next week.
The farmstay guest who killed a woman after she rejected him romantically in central Victoria maintains he has no memory of what he did, a Victorian court has heard.
Timothy Loosemore, 63, was found guilty by a Supreme Court jury of manslaughter, but not guilty of murder over the death of Maree Vermont, 60, at her home in Goldie, in central Victoria, in 2023.
Her badly burnt remains were found in the ashes of the stone house she had built with her family, burnt down by Loosemore after he killed her to destroy the crime scene.
Today's hearing in the Supreme Court in Melbourne heard submissions from the prosecution and defence ahead of Loosemore's expected sentencing next week.
Justice Michael Tinney said despite not being able to determine how Ms Vermont was killed, it could still be considered a serious or very serious case of manslaughter in sentencing.
"Because he has never told the truth about what occurred, the mechanism of death will remain unclear to anyone other than Mr Loosemore," Justice Tinney said.
The court heard there were signs of a physical altercation with Ms Vermont's blood on Loosemore's clothing as well as his own, and injuries to his face.
Defence barrister Christopher Farrington told the court Loosemore had been consistent that he had "no memory of what took place", therefore taking no responsibility nor showing remorse.
"My client struggles to reconcile he could be responsible for the taking of her life," Mr Farrington said.
But Justice Tinney said he did not accept Loosemore had no memory of the night, and said he had been "struck" by his behaviour while being interviewed by police in hospital hours after the fire, captured on body worn camera.
"At no time did he ask, 'have you found her, is she safe', the only concern was for himself, his bicycle and other possessions," Justice Tinney said.
"It struck me as being somewhat unnerving."
'Memories fading' without photos
Prosecutor Mark Gibson submitted 20 victim impact statements, including from Ms Vermont's three sons who read theirs in court.
Harrison Vermont told the court the uncertainty of how his mother died had kept him awake at night with different scenarios playing "over and over again" in his mind.
"The loss of her life through a violent and deliberate event is something I can't come to terms with,"he said.
"I, along with my brothers, moved back to the family farm, which unfortunately now has a burnt-out shell for a house and an ever present reminder of what happened."
The court heard Ms Vermont's youngest son, Lachlan, was due to move back to the farm the week after his mother was killed, and he had been looking forward to spending more time with her.
"There will always be things I want to tell her, moments I want to share, a goodbye I never got to say, a final hug before she was taken away. I will miss her for the rest of my life," Lachlan said.
His brother, Darcy Vermont, told the court his mum was a "beacon of unconditional love and support".
"It is deeply heartbreaking she is not here to see our lives, our families, our work. She'll never be there to talk through good times or hard times," he said.
He said the burning of the stone house was a significant loss, both financially and emotionally.
"I'm left trying to hold onto the memories without any of the personal belongings or things important to mum," he said.
"I can feel the memories fading with time and without [family] photos, I'm scared of this continual loss."
'Powerful evidence' of accelerant
Justice Tinney said while Loosemore was not charged with arson, he would take into account the burning down of the house as an aggravating feature in sentencing.
"It seems to me there's pretty powerful evidence he must've used petrol to set this fire," Justice Tinney said.
"It's made of stone, solid timber … how could he cause that inferno without using an accelerant?"
But Mr Farrington said it had not been proved by evidence in the trial, and argued it was not a necessary finding to make if the fire was already found to be deliberate.
Mr Farrington told the court Loosemore, a British national with Australian citizenship, had no criminal history, and had three adult children in the UK.
The court heard Loosemore had come to Australia for a cycling holiday with his son in 2022, but stayed on alone and travelled to several farmstay arrangements before arriving at Ms Vermont's Goldie stone house in early 2023.