LUCILLE Butterworth's boyfriend has broken down on the stand re-telling the ''horrible moment'' when he realised something had happened to her. The coronial inquest investigating Ms Butterworth's disappearance 46 years ago has on Wednesday heard from John Fitzgerald, her then-boyfriend and unofficial fiance. Mr Fitzgerald told Coroner Simon Cooper he called Ms Butterworth's work first thing in the morning when she failed to turn up to a charity meeting in New Norfolk the night before. When it was confirmed Ms Butterworth wasn't at work, he rang her mother Winifred, only to find she hadn't been home. ''I'll never forget that,'' Mr Fitzgerald said. ''This was the horrible moment when we realised something had happened,'' he said. He said he initially wasn't concerned when Ms Butterworth failed to turn up to the Miss Tasmania meeting, because she had missed it on other occasions. ''I thought she might have missed the bus or been sick,'' he said. Investigators believe Ms Butterworth, thinking she missed her bus at Claremont, accepted a lift with someone she knew and was killed the same night on August 25, 1969.
LUCILLE Butterworth's boyfriend has broken down on the stand re-telling the ''horrible moment'' when he realised something had happened to her.
The coronial inquest investigating Ms Butterworth's disappearance 46 years ago has on Wednesday heard from John Fitzgerald, her then-boyfriend and unofficial fiance.
Mr Fitzgerald told Coroner Simon Cooper he called Ms Butterworth's work first thing in the morning when she failed to turn up to a charity meeting in New Norfolk the night before.
When it was confirmed Ms Butterworth wasn't at work, he rang her mother Winifred, only to find she hadn't been home.
''I'll never forget that,'' Mr Fitzgerald said.
''This was the horrible moment when we realised something had happened,'' he said.
He said he initially wasn't concerned when Ms Butterworth failed to turn up to the Miss Tasmania meeting, because she had missed it on other occasions.
''I thought she might have missed the bus or been sick,'' he said.
Investigators believe Ms Butterworth, thinking she missed her bus at Claremont, accepted a lift with someone she knew and was killed the same night on August 25, 1969.
