3pm: MARCUS Stanford told police he disposed of rings taken from the fingers of a woman his brother had murdered six days before her wedding out of “misplaced loyalty” to his identical twin, the Supreme Court at Leeton has heard.
Stanford spoke about his involvement in the aftermath of the horrific murder of 26-year-old Stephanie Scott during an interview with police after he was extradited from Adelaide, two months after Ms Scott was murdered by 24-year-old Vincent Stanford on April 5 last year.
Marcus Stanford has denied having any knowledge of Ms Scott’s murder until he saw a news report on April 9 about his brother’s arrest.
Three days after killing Ms Scott and burning her body in the Cocoparra National Park near Griffith, Vincent Stanford mailed an envelope to his brother containing an engagement ring, a ring given to her by her parents on graduating university and her drivers licence.
On April 8, Vincent Stanford texted his brother and asked for his address.
“I’m going to send you an envelope keep it safe for me,” Vincent Stanford wrote in Dutch, their native tongue.
“OK,” replied Marcus Stanford.
Marcus Stanford did not tell police about the items after learning about his brother’s crime, and sold the rings for $705 on May 21.
There was a telephone conversation between the brothers on the night of April 9 after Vincent Stanford’s arrest, but it was not recorded by staff at Junee Correctional Centre who were following a procedure to do with what is known as administrative, or first, calls.
Marcus Stanford burnt the driver’s licence and used the money from selling the rings to pay for a plane ticket to visit his brother in jail and to fatten his bank account.
He has pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact of Ms Scott’s murder.
Vincent Stanford has pleaded guilty to Ms Scott’s murder and will be sentenced in October.
Suspicions
Suspicions about Marcus Stanford’s involvement came from police questioning him to make sure it was not him who had murdered Ms Scott.
The sentencing judge, Acting Justice Robert Hulme, has heard submissions from Crown prosecutor Paul Kerr and defence counsel Bill Neild and will sentence Stanford at 9.30am on Wednesday.
Mr Neild has called for Stanford to spend no more time in jail than the time he has been on remand – 14 months.
“He acted in response to something done by his brother,” Mr Neild said.
“He has acted, as he said, out of a sense of misplaced loyalty to his brother.”
Justice Hulme described Stanford’s actions in selling an engagement ring and a ring given to Ms Scott by her parents as “absolutely reprehensible”.
Stanford told police he took photos of the drivers licence before burning it in case he needed to go to the police about the envelope and its contents some time in the future.
Details about how police suspected Vincent Stanford in the days following Ms Scott’s disappearance from Leeton High School have emerged during sentencing submissions for Marcus Stanford.
Information
The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Sergeant Timothy Clark, said that on April 8 police received certain information about Stanford.
Detective Clark said that when questioned about Ms Scott, Stanford denied knowing her or even meeting the Leeton High School English and drama teacher, even though he worked as a cleaner at the school.
He said when he read through Stanford’s statement some of its contents caused him concern, including his movements on April 5.
Police went to the house where Stanford lived with his mother and brother and received approval from Stanford’s mother to search the home.
In Stanford’s bedroom they found keys which another school teacher had given Ms Scott so she could go to the school on April 5 – Easter Sunday – to prepare lessons for a relief teacher who would fill in for her while she was on her honeymoon.
Stanford returned home late that afternoon and when asked where he had been, he said out taking photographs.
Police seized the camera and found that the last two images were of a burnt body.
Horror movie
Detective Clark said he asked Stanford where the photos came from.
“He told me he downloaded them from a horror movie,” Detective Clark told the court.
A second search of Stanford’s home found Ms Scott’s red bra in a backpack in Stanford’s bedroom.
And in a shed they found a boot liner from her red Mazda 3 and timber boards, one of which had Ms Scott’s blood on it.
In his interview with Detective Clark, Marcus Stanford was asked how he felt when he realised the items sent to him were from a murder victim.
“A little bit confused,” Stanford replied.
He was asked if he told anyone about receiving the items.
“No,” he replied.
He said that in hindsight he should have told South Australian police about the delivery.
11.50am TUESDAY: The mother of Stephanie Scott has delivered a heart-breaking tribute to her murdered daughter in a victim's impact statement read to the Supreme Court in Leeton.
"It is still hard to imagine a future without Stephanie, she was full of life and fun," said Merilyn Scott as she bravely read the statement while choking back tears.
Mrs Scott spoke of the horror of going to the place where her daughter's burnt remains were found and how she felt as police used metal detectors to look for Ms Scott's engagement ring given to her by fiancé Aaron Leeson-Woolley and another ring given to her by her parents as a university graduation present.
The rings were mailed by Ms Scott's killer, Vincent Stanford, to his twin brother Marcus in Adelaide three days after the murder at Leeton on April 5 last year.
Mrs Scott also spoke of the pain of knowing Marcus Stanford had sold the rings and burnt her daughter's drivers licence, mailed with the rings.
"We had an amazing girl, and she is gone," Mrs Scott said.
10.30am TUESDAY: The brother of a man who murdered Leeton High School teacher Stephanie Scott received her engagement ring and another ring in the mail which he sold to a jewellery store for $705.
The information is among disturbing details revealed during sentencing submissions for Marcus Stanford in the Leeton courthouse this morning.
Stanford has pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact of Ms Scott's murder on April 5 last year.
His twin brother Vincent has pleaded guilty to the murder.
Detective Sergeant Timothy Clark said two photos of Ms Scott's burnt body were found on a camera seized from Vincent Stanford on April 8.
He gave details of a telephone conversation between the brothers after Vincent Stanford was in custody in the Junee Correctional Centre during which Vincent said of an envelope sent to his brother containing the engagement ring, a cross over ring given to Ms Scott by her mother and Ms Scott's drivers licence.
"What did you do with that stuff I sent you?" Vincent Stanford asked.
"Exactly what you told me to do," Marcus Stanford replied.
Crown prosecutor Paul Kerr has asked Justice Hulme for permission to play a video of police interviewing Marcus Stanford.
This is being objected to by Stanford's barrister.
Police became suspicious about Vincent Stanford after he denied knowing her.
A search of his Leeton home found keys to Leeton High School that another teacher had given her.
And Stanford had told police he had been at a supermarket at a time when it was closed on Easter Sunday, the day Ms Scott disappeared.
Ms Scott's mother Merilyn is expected to read out a victim's impact statement to the court.
The hearing continues.
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