The West Australian deputy coroner has found a mother of four, who vanished from her Perth home almost 37 years ago, was the victim of a homicide, and that her husband was involved "either directly or indirectly" in her death.
Sharon Fulton was 39 when she was last seen alive on March 18, 1986.
The last person who claimed to have seen her alive was her husband Robert Fulton who, after reporting her missing three days later, told police he had dropped her with an overnight bag at the East Perth train station after "a heated discussion".
He then repeatedly denied having anything to do with her death and refused to co-operate with an inquest into the case.
The inquest was held in May last year and heard that in the weeks before her disappearance, Mrs Fulton had voiced concerns to a psychiatrist, that her husband would try to murder her, and that she would end up "six feet under".
Her friends testified she had told them of fears for her safety, including on one occasion when she said "I think Robert is going to kill us all on the road".
Close bond with children
The friends also maintained Mrs Fulton idolised her four children and she would never have left without them.
The couple had been based in Queensland, but relocated to Perth in 1983 when her husband Robert Fulton, who was in the Royal Australian Air Force, was transferred to the Pearce air base in Bullsbrook.
In 1985, Mrs Fulton had sought legal advice about getting a divorce and said at the time she was still living in the family home with her husband, she considered that the marriage had irretrievably broken down.
By the time of his wife's disappearance, Mr Fulton had also taken out a $120,000 life insurance policy covering both of them and naming him as the sole beneficiary.
He was paid the money in 1995 after court proceedings in which he swore an affidavit saying he believed Ms Fulton was deceased.
In her findings, Deputy Coroner Sarah Linton said she was "satisfied to the requisite standard for a coronial inquiry … that Robert Fulton was involved in the death of Sharon Fulton on the morning of 18 March, 1986, either directly or indirectly".
Husband last to see her alive
"The last known person in contact with Sharon Fulton that morning was her husband, Robert Fulton," the deputy coroner said.
"He has told the police and others that he last saw her alive that day as she went out either to go shopping or for a liaison with another man. I do not believe that is the truth."
Ms Linton said because of the absence of a body, she was unable to conclude how Mrs Fulton died.
However, she noted there was evidence suggesting a pool had recently been installed at the family's home and Mr Fulton was still completing some of the groundwork around it at the time of his wife's disappearance.
The inquest heard an initial police investigation failed to identify any evidence to support a suspected homicide, despite those concerns being raised by Mrs Fulton's mother and stepmother.
However in 2006, officers from the Special Crime Squad concluded there were suspicious circumstances, and while in 2017 they referred the matter to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), it was decided there was insufficient evidence to support any charges being laid against anyone, including Mr Fulton.
Coroner Linton has again referred the matter to the ODPP, noting Mr Fulton's most recent ex-partner had now provided a statement in which she said he had committed an assault against her "in the context of a long-term controlling and emotionally abusive relationship, and that he counselled her to help him try to create a false impression that he is suffering from advanced dementia".
The ex-partner also told the inquest Mr Fulton had told her his wife had been murdered by notorious serial killers, David and Catherine Birnie, whose crime spree terrorised Perth over five weeks in October and November 1986.
Ms Linton said it was telling that nobody called at the inquest "had a single good word to say about [Robert Fulton]".
"His supervisor at the RAAF at the time described him as not well-liked at work, and no friends of the family spoke well of him.
"In terms of general character evidence, it is fair to say that Robert Fulton was not described in this court as a person of good character.
"Everyone who was asked stated that they believed Robert was capable of killing his wife and concealing her death from her family for decades."
Mr Fulton, who now lives in Queensland, was given the opportunity to testify at the inquest, however had claimed to have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
The inquest heard representatives of the court had attended his home in Queensland during the hearing but there was no response when they repeatedly knocked on his door.
Son laments 'missed opportunities'
Ms Linton declined to issue a warrant for Mr Fulton's arrest, saying it would have been an exceptional move and any evidence he would have given would have been problematic because of his Alzheimer's diagnosis.
Among the witnesses who testified at the hearing were the couple's four children, who were aged 15, 10, 7 and 3 when their mother vanished.
In her findings, the Deputy Coroner "wholeheartedly" endorsed comments made by one of her sons that there had been many "missed opportunities" in the case and that it was unacceptable it had taken 36 years to conduct an inquest into his mother's disappearance.
Ms Linton said while in the early days of the police investigation, comments were made that revealed "a regrettable attitude towards women", she was too reticent to be critical because of the amount of time that had passed and the differences in how investigations were conducted then and now.
Ms Linton also said some of the delay in having the inquest was attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic but "the backlog of the coroner's court" was also a contributing factor.
"I extend to the family my sincere apologies for any additional pain it has caused them," she said.
"It is apparent that just hearing the evidence of the witnesses about who their mother was, and how much she loved them, has been important for Sharon's children …"
