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A MAN has faced court over the deaths of his two young step-children whose bodies were found in a cemetery in far north Western Australia. Police found the bodies of the 14-month-old boy and his four-year-old sister in the cemetery at Derby, 2,400 km north of Perth, yesterday after a 36-year-old man had earlier attended the local police station. They have not disclosed how the children had died. It's alleged the man had first assaulted his estranged de facto wife, the children's mother. The 29-year-old woman tonight remains in a serious condition in Derby District Hospital. The 36-year-old man – who is charged with three counts of grievous bodily harm – was transferred from Derby to the town of Broome where he appeared today before a specially convened hearing in the magistrates court. He was remanded in custody to appear again in the same court on Tuesday. However, police said charges relating to the children were likely to be upgraded pending results of a post mortem examination due to take place later in the week. Their bodies will be flown to Perth tomorrow. Acting Deputy Commissioner Murray Lampard said today the tragedy would have a devastating effect on the families involved, and the close-knit town of Derby. He appealed for people to remain calm. "I appeal to all the family members to show restraint and to have faith in the local police to ensure justice is done," Mr Lampard said in a statement. He said counselling services had been arranged through the Department of Community Development for the families affected by the children's deaths. AAP (24-4-2005) |
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THE bodies of two small children were found hanged in a cemetery in a remote West Australian town early on Saturday after their stepfather walked into the nearby police station and allegedly confessed that he had killed them. Frantic attempts to resuscitate the 14-month-old boy and his four-year-old sister failed. Police believe Terrence Laurence Dann, 36, seriously assaulted his 29-year-old de facto wife before taking the baby boy and his sister to the cemetery in the Kimberley town of Derby, where he killed them. Mr Dann then went to Derby police station and turned himself in at 3am (WST) on Saturday. When police arrived they found one child still hanging and another on the ground. They tried frantically, but unsuccessfully, to revive them. A police spokesman said the children's mother had taken out a violence restraining order against Mr Dann on March 1, but the pair were believed to have resumed their relationship and recently began living together again. It is understood the woman went to court to try to get the order revoked but was unable to do so. Mr Dann appeared in Broome Magistrates Court yesterday charged with three counts of grievous bodily harm. Two of the charges are expected to be upgraded pending post mortem examinations on the children. He was remanded in custody to reappear on Tuesday. Derby police said Mr Dann had been transferred to Broome for his own safety, and his de facto wife had been moved to a hospital outside Derby, where she is in a stable condition with a broken jaw and a collapsed lung. Police are bracing themselves for possible violence and tribal punishment in the wake of the murders, although Derby experienced a quiet weekend. Senior Constable Chris White said police were concerned about the possibility of tribal punishment being meted out at the children's funeral. "It's always a concern, but particularly at the funerals, so we'll be watching." The children's bodies will be flown to Perth for post mortem examinations, delaying the funerals - expected to be held in Broome - until next week. The children's biological father lives on a station near the Mitchell Plateau and was told of their deaths on Saturday. He is thought to be on his way to Derby. Derby elder Lucy Marshall said the families involved were traditional land owners and well known in the area. "Everybody knows them," she said. "It's a shock to all of us." She said the children's mother was a senior member of her family, many of whom lived in Broome. Her remaining three children had been taken to Broome to be cared for by their grandmother. Derby Senior Sergeant Jim Cave said police had talked to the families involved to encourage them to remain calm. "They're in sorry time at the moment and I've been assured there won't be any trouble," Sergeant Cave said. He said the officers who tried to resuscitate the children had been offered counselling. "It was the most shocking thing for them to find," he said. The Department of Community Development is also arranging counselling for the families involved. Kimberley MP Carol Martin, who lives in Derby, said the close-knit town was devastated. "The community is numb, nobody can believe it," Ms Martin said. "It's every parent's worst nightmare, no matter how old your kids are, and it's something you'd never get over." The Australian (25-4-2005) Andrea Mayes |
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A man faced a West Australian court on charges of murdering his two stepchildren. Derby resident Terrence Laurence Dann, 36, was remanded in custody yestersay after a brief appearance in Broome Magistrates Court. Dann has been in custody since police found the bodies of his four-year-old stepdaughter and her 14-month-old brother in Pioneer Cemetery at Derby, 2400km north of Perth, early on April 23. Police allege the children were hanged and their 29-year-old mother was seriously assaulted. Adelaide Advertiser (3-5-2005) |
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A MAN accused of beating his de facto wife before killing his stepchildren by hanging them in a West Australian cemetery has made another brief court appearance. Terrence Dann, 36, was remanded in custody after an appearance today in Broome Magistrates Court, where he faced two counts of wilful murder and one of grievous bodily harm. Mr Dann has been in custody since police found the bodies of his four-year-old stepdaughter and her 14-month-old brother in Pioneer Cemetery at Derby, 2400km north of Perth, on April 23. Police allege the children were hanged and their 29-year-old mother seriously assaulted. Mr Dann, 36, originally faced three charges of grievous bodily harm but those charges were later upgraded. He appeared in the West Australian Supreme Court last week, when he turned down the opportunity to apply for bail. Today, Mr Dann was remanded in custody, did not enter a plea. He will next appear in magistrate's court in Perth on June 27. AAP (30-5-2005) |
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A PERTH court has been told a stepfather accused of murdering his partner's two children by hanging them in a West Australian cemetery intends to plead guilty to the charges. Terrence Laurence Dann, 36, has been in custody since police found the bodies of the 14-month-old boy and his four-year-old sister in Pioneer Cemetery at Derby, 2400 km north of Perth, in April. Dann appeared in Perth Magistrate's Court via videolink yesterday. He told magistrate Kelvin Fisher he intends to plead guilty to two counts of wilful murder, along with a charge of grievous bodily harm against the children's mother. He also faces a charge of breaking a violence restraining order, believed to have been taken out by his 29-year-old former de-facto wife the month before the killings. Dann will return to court on July the 18th to enter his plea, and will then be sentenced in WA's Supreme Court. AAP (28-6-2005) |
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The stepfather of two children found hanged in a West Australian cemetary, yesterday pleaded guilty to wilfully murdering them causing grievous bodily harm to their mother. Terrence Dann, 36, murdered the boy, 1 and his sister, 4, at Derby, 2400km north of Perth, on April 23. Adelaide Advertiser (26-7-2005) |
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