Coen locals recount words of alleged murderer

Committal hearings in Cairns Magistrates Court have heard how a former Queensland quarry worker, now committed to stand trial for the alleged murder of an Indigenous woman more than a decade ago, had told them he had “roughed up” the 23-year-old Kowanyama woman, known for cultural reasons as Ms Bernard.

She was last seen at a pub in the Cape York town of Coen on February 10, 2013. Ms Bernard allegedly left the bar with Thomas Maxwell Byrnes, 63, with the intention of going to a quarry where he worked at Archer River, 68 kilometres north of Coen.

Ms Bernard's family reported her missing a few days later, which prompted a search of surrounding bushland, home to several disused mine shafts, but her body has never been found

It was in January of last year that Mr Byrnes was charged with Ms Bernard's murder and he has faced several committal hearings in the Cairns Magistrates Court since May.

Former manager of the Exchange Hotel in Coen, Dean Lloyd, has told the court about a conversation with Mr Byrnes discussing the disappearance of Ms Bernard.

"He said, 'I took (Ms Bernard) from the pub and we were meant to go home,' something along those lines, and 'You know what happened next,'" Mr Lloyd said.

Mr Lloyd added he had frozen at that comment and Mr Byrnes went silent for a while before continuing to say: “Youse f**king say anything, youse'll be put beside her and never found."

Others speaking at the committal hearings included regular visitor to the Coen Exchange Hotel, Jacqueline May Greenhalgh.

Ms Greenhalgh said Mr Byrnes made unexpected comments that Ms Bernard's body would not be found by authorities.

"They were left-field comments about, 'That f**king black b**ch pissing in my car', and how they're never going to find her,"  she said.

In a hearing last Tuesday, July 15, Coen resident Neville Shepherd told the court he had a conversation with Mr Byrnes in 2017 or 2018 when he said Ms Bernard had bitten him on the penis.

In the same conversation, Mr Shepherd said Mr Byrnes also said he'd "roughed her up". Mr Byrnes's lawyer, James Sheridan, questioned Mr Shepherd's recollection of the conversation, noting Mr Shepherd had a hearing impairment.

Mr Sheridan asked Mr Shepherd if Mr Byrnes might have said, "She was a bit rough."

Mr Shepherd said that was possible.

He said Mr Byrnes also told him that Ms Bernard "took off" and he did not ask him what that meant.

Magistrate Scott Luxton committed Mr Byrnes to stand trial in the Cairns Supreme Court at a date to be set.

Mr Byrnes did not enter a plea and remains in custody.