Inquest hears from woman who took it into her 'own hands' to solve 1989 murder

Inquest into Annette Mason's 1989 death hears woman took it into her 'own hands' to solve murder Wed 22 Jul 2026 at 5:39pm In short: An inquest into the 1989 murder of Annette Mason, 15, has heard from a woman who gave evidence about two men previously accused of being involved in Annette's death. The woman, whose identity has been suppressed, testified about conversations in which a man implied who was responsible for her murder. What's next? Public hearings for the inquest have now finished, with findings to be handed down at a later date. A long-running inquest into the death of a Queensland teenager almost 40 years ago has heard a woman she did not know took it into her "own hands" to solve her murder. Annette Mason, 15, was found dead in her Toowoomba home in 1989. An inquest probing her death was held in the subsequent years, but there was insufficient evidence for a coroner at the time to rule if anyone was likely responsible. The coronial inquiry was reopened in 2018, and further hearings were held between then and 2022. After a lengthy adjournment it resumed on Wednesday, where a new witness was called to give evidence, in relation to two men who have previously been accused of being involved in Annette's death. The woman, whose identity has been suppressed, testified about conversations she said she had with them, including Robert Speedy. In 2018, the court heard the woman spoke to Mr Speedy about another man who he implied was responsible for the alleged murder. The woman told the court Mr Speedy said that man, whose identity had also been suppressed, had used a stool and "got through a window" of Annette's home on the night of her death. "[Mr Speedy] didn't say how he knew those things," she said. The woman told the court Mr Speedy also claimed the man "just asked me if you can get fingerprints off a piece of wood". She testified Mr Speedy had never discussed the cold case with her before. When asked why she did not go to police with this information at the time, she told the court it was because she did not know if he was making it up, or if they would believe her. Several years later, the court heard the woman reached out to the same man Mr Speedy had been talking about. The woman told the court the man divulged details to her about Annette's death. She testified he admitted to being at Annette's house the night she died, but she accepted he never said he was involved in her death. Instead, the woman told the court the man named two other men as having some involvement. She said the man also said Annette was "bashed before she got to the house" and the person who killed her was a police officer. "[He said] that's why all the evidence went missing," she said. Under cross-examination, the woman admitted she had a keen interest in the case despite not knowing the teenager. She accepted she had listened to podcasts and read multiple articles about the case since the inquest was reopened in 2018. When asked if she had taken it upon herself to try to solve Annette's murder, she agreed, acknowledging it was "very reckless". "I just took it into my own hands," she said. She told the court although it was a "big risk", she was "proud" of what she had done. The two men the woman said she had spoken to were recalled as witnesses and questioned about her evidence. They rejected her statements and maintained they had nothing to do with Annette's death. The public hearings have now concluded with the legal parties expected to make written submissions to the state coroner over the next six months. His findings will be handed down at a later date.