Overview
- The committal hearing in Maroochydore, which began Wednesday, is set for two days before a magistrate decides if the case goes to a jury trial.
- Witness Wren Dawnsong told the court earlier police statements were wrong because they felt pressured and scared of their father, the accused.
- Prosecutors said Lees was the beneficiary of Rose’s $250,000 policy and noted the suicide exclusion lapsed after 13 months, with her death occurring 13 months and three weeks after it began.
- The court heard Lees gave differing accounts over the years and fled a planned police interview in June 2023 before his January 2025 arrest, with prosecutors alleging he staged signs of his own death and used another name.
- Rose’s 1997 death at Point Cartwright was first treated as a likely suicide due to a high alcohol reading, but a 2022 cold‑case review and a 2023 $500,000 reward renewed the probe, and this hearing now tests if evidence is strong enough for trial.