Murder victim's daughter says she was a 'person with a heart, a history'

Canberra court hears victim impact statements from daughter of woman murdered by partner, paramedics left 'haunted' by scene Mon 15 Jun 2026 at 1:27pm In short: A court has heard victim impact statements from those affected by Tiffany Spence's death after she was murdered by her partner Adam James Britt in 2022. Britt pleaded guilty to the murder earlier this year, just as his two-month trial was set to begin. What's next? The case will return to court in September. The daughter of a woman brutally murdered by her partner in her Canberra home almost four years ago has told the ACT Supreme Court she still wonders whether she could have saved her mother. Warning: This story contains graphic details. Her mother's killer, Adam James Britt, 40, pleaded guilty earlier this year to murdering Tiffany Spence in the couple's Reid apartment in September 2022, just as a two-month trial was due to begin. In a victim impact statement read to the court by ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Victoria Engel, Hailie Spence-Rose said she had spent years replaying her final conversation with her mother and wondering whether there was something she could have done differently. "That sense of guilt and helplessness has stayed with me and weighs heavily on me, even though I understand on a rational level that there was likely nothing I could have done to prevent what happened," Ms Spence-Rose said in the statement. "At an age where I still needed comfort, guidance and support from my mother, her life was taken from her. Instead of being able to grieve as her daughter, I was forced to grow up overnight." Ms Spence-Rose, the eldest of five children, said one of the most painful burdens had been feeling responsible for keeping her mother's memory alive for her younger siblings. "I'm scared that I will be the only one who truly remembers her for who she was," she said. "My baby sister was too young to even remember her, and may never know the love of her mother. "She mattered. She was a real person with a heart, a history, and a family who loved her deeply. She was so much more than the way she died." Ms Spence-Rose said she had been left carrying guilt, helplessness and anger. "My anger toward the offender is overwhelming and difficult to put into words," she said. "The harm he has caused has permanently altered my life, my sense of safety and my ability to trust. "My mum had a difficult life, but despite everything she went through, she loved her children." First responders left 'haunted' by scene Britt and Ms Spence had been in a relationship for about 12 months before he called Triple Zero from their Reid apartment in the early hours of September 9, 2022. Britt told the operator his partner was not breathing and claimed she had returned home days earlier "all beaten up". He then repeatedly claimed she had been hitting herself with a hammer. "She was going crazy and hitting at her legs with a hammer and her hands are all cut," he told the operator. "She's still got the hammer in her hand." When paramedics arrived, they found blood throughout the apartment and Ms Spence in the bedroom. The 36-year-old had cuts and bruises across her body, as well as injuries that appeared to have been caused by a hammer. "It is also incredibly painful to know that my mum suffered greatly before she died," Ms Spence-Rose said. "Knowing she was in pain and fear during her final moments is something I struggle to live with and it physically makes me sick." In a victim impact statement read to the court, one of the first paramedics to attend said she had worked in the industry for 18 years and had never witnessed injuries like Ms Spence's. "It is unfathomable to the extent of the bruising both front and back on the victim that I witnessed that day and how another human could inflict such violence,"she said. Another paramedic told the court he had been holding Ms Spence's head and breathing for her as the electrical activity in her heart faded on the ECG monitor. He said he hoped Ms Spence's family could take some comfort in knowing she was not alone. "In Tiffany's final moments she was treated by four paramedics who truly cared, who treated her with the respect and dignity she deserved," he said. "I spoke to her softly, a part of me truly hoping she could hear, 'Tiffany, we are here and we care about you'." The paramedic said he remained "haunted" by the night and had since quit his job as a first responder. An autopsy later found Ms Spence died from multiple blunt force injuries. Bruising and other injuries covered about 40 per cent of her body, which a forensic pathologist said on their own would have likely killed her. She also suffered rib and spinal fractures, extensive injuries to her neck, and a collapsed lung. The forensic pathologist found there was no way Ms Spence's injuries were self-inflicted. A four-month forensic investigation eventually led to Britt's arrest in February 2023. Police had found photos on his phone, taken in the days before Ms Spence's murder, which showed an increasing number of injuries to her body. Victim sought help before death, court documents show During the investigation, police learned Ms Spence had no connections to Canberra before moving in with Britt, and that he became jealous and possessive when she travelled to visit family in mid-north New South Wales. Court documents show she had told hospital staff and police that Britt had assaulted her after she made plans to see her family. About a week before her death, Ms Spence told Red Cross workers she did not feel safe at home and was helped to find alternative accommodation. She had also made plans to visit family and applied for an Escaping Violence Payment through Wesley Mission. Over several days, Britt repeatedly tried to contact her before the pair eventually began speaking by email, where he begged her to return home. "But can you promise you ain't gonna start sh*t when I come back?" she had asked him. Ms Spence returned to the apartment on September 6. Neighbours later reported hearing thumps and screams coming from the couple's apartment during the night of September 8 and 9. By the early hours of September 9, Ms Spence had died. The case will return to court in September.