The identity of an accused serial killer charged with three cold case murders in South Australia can be revealed as Steven Leslie Hainsworth.
Mr Hainsworth, from the north-western Victorian town of MIldura, is accused of murdering his aunt, 64-year-old grandmother Beverley Hanley, 71-year-old grandmother Phyllis Harrison and 55-year-old Mount Gambier pensioner Stephen Newton.
Supreme Court Justice Anne Bampton on Monday revoked the suppression order on Mr Hainsworth’s identity, allowing him to be revealed as the man charged with each of the three murders for the first time.
In March 1998, Ms Harrison’s body was discovered in her Elizabeth South home.
Twelve years later, on October 6, 2010, the body of Ms Hanley was found in the laundry of her Elizabeth South home.
The body of Mr Newton, a pensioner, was found at Mount Gambier in the state’s south-east in 2011.
Police allege each of the victims were known to Mr Hainsworth.
He was later charged with each of the murders.
A suppression order was previously placed on the 49-year-old’s case due to the possibility he might face separate trials for each of the three victims.
On Monday media lawyer Peter Campbell, who applied for the suppression to be lifted, said Justice Bampton revoked the order because Mr Hainsworth’s case would proceed as a single trial by judge alone.
“Because it’s a single accused and there’s been a decision that there’s no reason to split the trials, all three alleged murders will go together to the trial at once,” Mr Campbell said.
Mr Campbell said the revoked suppression order provided a significant update to the case, with the trial listed for August this year.
“I suppose this one has been notorious for a long time, but people haven’t been able to find out that this is actually one man accused of all three of these incidents,” he said.
