An 82-year-old Zeehan man attacked a mother and daughter with a hatchet after they told him they were going to move out of his house to live on a houseboat, the Supreme Court in Launceston heard.
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Richard Andrew Burke, of Counsel Street, pleaded guilty to committing an unlawful act intended to cause bodily harm on June 19, 2021 by striking Wendy Geddes, 80, to the head, face and arms with a hatchet - which wounded her and caused bodily harm.
He also pleaded guilty to intentionally causing bodily harm to Tracey Geddes, 65, by striking her to the head and left arm with a hatchet on the same day. He was originally charged with attempted murder and wounding.
On Thursday a disputed facts hearing went ahead to allow Justice Robert Pearce to find whether Burke used the blunt side of the hatchet, as he claimed, or the sharp side as claimed by the Geddes'.
There was also a dispute over whether Burke had assaulted Wendy Geddes on June 18 by grabbing her by the arms.
Crown prosecutor John Ransom said Burke and the Geddes', who were Catholic lay sisters of the Holy Spirit and celibate, met in Darwin where they shared an interest in boats.
When the Geddes' moved to Queenstown they asked Burke to come and live with them in 2020.
They moved to Zeehan, but tensions developed because Burke did not like having religious visitors and was standing in the way of Wendy Geddes' hopes of having a garden and chickens.
The mother and daughter decided that they would move out and buy a boat to live on.
However they resisted telling Burke about a planned boat purchasing trip to Victoria until the day before.
Burke became extremely angry because he felt financially gypped over the sale of the Queenstown house, to which he contributed $125,000, and the purchase of the Zeehan house.
Wendy Geddes told the court Burke squeezed her by the arms. She said to him "don't do that you know I am better at it than you".
She said that she went to bed about 8pm on June 18 and her daughter (Tracey Geddes) who shared the same king-size double bed came in later.
About 4am Wendy Geddes was asleep when Burke came into the bedroom with a hatchet.
She said she was struck on the left side and top side of the head and the chin. Tracey Geddes, who feigned sleep when Burke came in, jumped between them and copped a hit to the arm and a laceration to the top of the head.
Wendy Geddes wrestled the hatchet away and threw it out onto the street.
Tracey Geddes said she saw Burke pounding her mother's head with the axe.
"I got moving to stop that axe," she said.
"I scrambled over the bed and put my hand up and he chopped me on the wrist and then pounded me on the head."
She said she could see clearly because the pair habitually left the television on all night with the sound on mute.
She said she saw him use "the chopping bit" when he struck her mother.
After wrestling him to his room Burke went to the kitchen and cut himself with a knife.
The court heard that a treating doctor could not determine whether the blunt or sharp side had been used or how many blows were struck.
In a police interview Burke said he brooded after they told him of the plans.
"I wanted to give them a little bit of hurt to take with them," he said.
He said that he went into the bedroom and "whack".
"I just gave her a good whack, at least it was something to remember me by," he said.
He said it wasn't his intention to kill her.
"I wanted Wendy to learn something about how far she can push people.
"Tracey got up and I gave her a whack.
"I had a swing at her too."
He did not give evidence at the disputed facts hearing.
Defence counsel Lucy Flanagan said Burke was an engineer who was a child prisoner-of-war during World War II.
She said he worked as a marine engineer and was at sea when he received a phone call that his wife and two young children had been killed in a car crash.
Ms Flanagan said that a long sentence with no parole could serve as a life sentence for Burke given his age.
She said he felt used financially by the two women.
Justice Robert Pearce, who examined the hatchet in court and felt its weight, said he would take some time to consider his findings and sentence.
He adjourned the case to June 23 at 4.15pm.
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