The mother of a 15-year-old Queensland girl killed more than 30 years ago is hanging onto hope new DNA evidence will shed light on her daughter's case at a resumed coronial inquest.
Coroner Terry Ryan put the inquest into Annette Mason's 1989 death in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, on hold three years ago to allow for more forensic testing.
The hearing resumed on Monday after delays counsel assisting the coroner Adrian Braithwaite said had been due to the coronavirus pandemic and to allow for DNA tests involving New Zealand experts.
Annette's mother Judith Andersen said outside the court the family had been "through the mincer a few times" waiting for information about her daughter's killer.
The 70-year-old said she was hoping the new DNA information would lead to a breakthrough in the case.
"I have no idea about the results of any of it but I am hoping it will shed a lot of light onto what happened," she said.
"Annette was a lovely, normal 15-year-old girl who did not deserve what happened to her."
Members of Annette's family arrived at court wearing yellow – her favourite colour.
Potential suspect to give evidence
Annette was found bludgeoned to death in her Toowoomba bedroom after a night out with friends in November 1989.
Nine witnesses are expected to give evidence at the reopened inquest this week, which is being conducted under changes to legislation which give coroners more powers to compel witnesses to give potentially self-incriminating evidence at an inquest.
One of the witnesses set down to give evidence this week is a suspected person of interest.
Both police and civilian witnesses have previously told the inquest they heard a person confessing to Annette's killing.
Former inmate denies hearing confession
In evidence at the inquest, witness Robert Speedy denied hearing the person of interest confess to Annette's murder in 1992.
Mr Braithwaite suggested to Speedy, who gave evidence via telephone from the Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre, that the suspect had told him they put the "hard word" on Annette and bashed her in the head with a piece of wood when she rejected their advances.
Speedy replied: "No way in the world. Why would anyone want to tell me that?"
The 55-year-old also told the inquest: "There's no way [they] would do something like that."
The hearing continues.
