A Victorian Supreme Court has heard that a woman rejected the romantic advances of a farmstay guest who is now accused of her murder. Timothy Loosemore, 62, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Maree Vermont, 60, whose remains were discovered after a house fire in Goldie, near Kilmore, in August 2023.
Crown prosecutor Mark Gibson KC told the court that Loosemore and Vermont had a brief sexual relationship, but she later rejected his desire for a romantic relationship. 'His ego was unable to cope with and move on from her rejection of him in a romantic sense,' Gibson said. The court heard that in the days before her death, Vermont had texted her son asking him to keep an eye on Loosemore, stating, 'I made it clear that I don't want an intimate relationship with him. He is taking it badly.'
Prosecutors allege Loosemore either killed Vermont and set her home on fire as a cover, or seriously assaulted her before lighting the fire. An autopsy was unable to determine her cause of death due to fire damage. The court heard that paramedics who treated Loosemore for smoke inhalation detected a strong smell of petrol in the ambulance and observed blood on his face and hands. Additionally, Vermont's son noticed two fuel containers were missing after the fire.
Defence barrister Christopher Farrington argued that Loosemore denies all allegations, including assault, murder, and arson. He rejected the prosecution's claim that rejection and ego were motives, stating, 'It would be a very large step to move from evidence of unreciprocated affection to the conclusion Mr Loosemore had a motive to harm Ms Vermont.' Farrington emphasised that the prosecution's case relies heavily on circumstantial evidence and that expert testimony may be less definitive than implied.
The trial is expected to run for four to five weeks.
