Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
AAP
AAP
National
William Ton

Judge told to reject lies from handyman killer

The man found guilty of murdering Vicki Ramadan continues to deny involvement in her death. (HANDOUT/VICTORIA POLICE)

A judge has been urged to reject the lies of a handyman convicted over the savage killing of an elderly woman as he continues to deny any involvement in her death.

Stuart Paul Anderson was found guilty by a jury of the 2019 murder of Vicki Ramadan in her home at Sydenham, in Melbourne's northwest.

The pair met when the widowed Ms Ramadan knocked on Anderson's door and asked for his help with some odd jobs around her home.

After her death, he told media in television interviews she seemed like a lovely lady and he hoped "the cops catch the son of a b****" who did it.

But it was Anderson who killed Ms Ramadan, between March 23 and 25, 2019, after witness accounts said they heard multiple arguments between the pair.

The 77-year-old was found dead inside her home from 13 blows by a torch, including four to the right side of her skull.

Anderson's denials continued on Friday during a pre-sentence hearing at the Supreme Court in Melbourne, where Justice Amanda Fox noted his lack of remorse over the killing.

"There is no remorse," she said.

"Quite so," Anderson's barrister Tim Marsh replied.

Mr Marsh said Anderson was not callous or indifferent to Ms Ramadan's death, but the judge attributed his reaction to Anderson's belief that he was innocent.

"Anderson is aggrieved because people think he is capable of doing this," he said. 

"His explanation is, 'I find this distressing because I didn't do it'," Justice Fox said.

Prosecutor Neill Hutton said Anderson was an unreliable witness and was sceptical over his recollection of being in a three-month coma when he was nine.

He urged Justice Fox to "reject anything that comes out of his mouth".

"Lies come from his mouth time and time again, and when someone challenges his lies, he moves on to another," Mr Hutton said.

He said the crime was a serious example of a murder, in the context of a burglary gone wrong, and Ms Ramadan was particularly vulnerable due to her age and health concerns.

"It's common ground that an assault that occurs in somebody's home is something that violates a very primal and significant belief in safety (and), on any assessment, this was a savage assault," Mr Hutton said.

Mr Marsh said the crime was spontaneous compared to other murders, as Anderson thought Mrs Ramadan was not home at the time and he did not plan on killing her.

However, Mr Hutton said spontaneity did not reduce the seriousness of the offence committed.

Anderson was convicted by a jury in his third trial, as one jury was discharged after being unable to reach a verdict and the second was discontinued before deliberations were reached.

The court was told Ms Ramadan was known for wearing lots of jewellery, which was found alongside cash in her home after she was killed.

Anderson appeared by video link from prison and will be sentenced at a later date.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.