Woman ‘raped, stabbed’ as flatmate returned

Press, 24 June 1989, Page 6

Woman ‘raped, stabbed’ as flatmate returned

After being raped in her bedroom a young woman was stabbed in the chest by Warren Frederick George Battersby, as her flatmate’s car stopped in the driveway. The woman screamed for help and dived head first out of the bedroom window, naked, and bleeding profusely, and was driven to hospital. Evidence of this was given in the District Court yesterday during preliminary hearing of four charges against Battersby, aged 39, a boner. At the completion of the hearing Judge Fogarty committed Battersby for trial by jury in the High Court on a charge of attempting to murder the woman, on the evening of March 18. Battersby pleaded guilty to the three other charges and was committed to the High Court for sentence. They were of sexually violating the woman by raping her, causing her grievous bodily harm with intent, and threatening to kill the woman’s flatmate. Battersby was remanded in custody, pending his trial and sentencing. He was represented by Mr Nigel Hampton, Q.C.

Mr Brent Stanaway appeared for the police. Statements of evidence of prosecution witnesses were accepted by defence counsel for the preliminary hearing, without the witness having to appear in Court. Evidence was that Battersby knew the two women who shared a flat. He arrived at the flat about 9.15 p.m. and told the main complainant he had called to see her flatmate. She was out at the time. He took a butcher’s knife, with a blade about 7 inches long, from his jacket and pointed it at the complainant, and grabbed hold of her sweatshirt. He said he was going to kill (the flatemate) because she hurt him. The complainant asked why he was holding her with the knife. He said it was because she “knew too much,” relating to his telling her he intended killing the flatmate. Battersby then forced her to her bedroom and pushed her on to her bed. He still held the knife. She tried to keep him talking. Battersby said he was

going to tie her flatmate to her bed and cut her the length of her body to her throat. The complainant asked why she (complainant) was being dragged into it, as she had done nothing. He agreed it was not fair, “but that’s, the way it went.” Battersby told her to take her clothes off. She undressed reluctantly and he got annoyed and cut her panties off with his knife. The complainant then told of incidents relating to the charge of rape. Just after, her flatmate’s car drove into the driveway and stopped. The car door was heard opening, and Battersby lay on top of her and put his elbow in her mouth. The knife was pointed at her chest. He stabbed her arm and she grabbed the knife, badly cutting her fingers. She screamed out for her flatmate and tried to struggle free but Battersby was too heavy. During this time he stabbed her three times in her chest. The last blow struck bone, and Battersby twisted the knife inside her. He withdrew the knife

and ran from the room. She got up and ran to the window and dived head first outside. She got up an ran to her flatmate’s car, which was backing out the drive. The complainant said blood was pouring from her. She got into the car and asked her flatmate to drive her to hospital. She held a magazine over her wounds to try to stop the bleeding. She said she was in hospital for 10 days. Her injuries included a stab wound in an upper arm, and three stab wounds in her chest. Her head, a thumb and finger were cut and tendons in the finger severed. She said both lungs were collapsed. Medical evidence was given of the complainant’s injuries, and of her being treated for these and to re-expand her right lung. She was in hospital for 10 days for her chest injuries. Evidence of interviewing Battersby was given by Detective Neville Jenkins. He said Battersby seemed distressed, and

after inquiring about the complainant said “thank Christ” she was all right. He said she was just the meat in the sandwich, and he never meant to harm her. She was a real nice young girl. He said he had panicked when he heard the car arrive. He had stabbed her. Battersby said he had been drinking at a hotel that afternoon, but was not “blotto." Battersby told the detecitve he threw the knife away. “ He said he did not mean to harm the complainant. She had not done him any harm. If he had wanted to kill her she would not be here now. He did not want to hurt her at all. He had stabbed her when her flatmate arrived and he panicked. He was a “bit screwed up.” She had screamed. “It hurt me a lot doing it,” Battersby had told the detective.