Man pleads guilty to killing Sydney journo



A MAN has admitted to killing a freelance journalist outside a hotel in Sydney’s inner west 14 years ago.


Wayne Castle, 53, of Forest Lodge, pleaded not guilty to murdering Jennifer Maree Smith but guilty of her manslaughter in Central Local Court on Thursday.

His guilty plea was accepted by the Crown.

Ms Smith was found unconscious in a lane beside the Coopers Arms Hotel at Newtown on January 17, 1998.

The 32-year-old, from Elizabeth Bay in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, died a short time later of severe head injuries.

Ms Smith had lived in Elizabeth Bay for five years and was a freelance journalist for various publications.

A strike force was formed in 2010 following an inquest into her death and Castle was charged in May last year after an extensive year-long investigation.

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Magistrate Clare Farnan adjourned the matter for a sentence hearing in the Supreme Court on September 7.

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Man pleads guilty to killing Sydney journo



A MAN has admitted to killing a freelance journalist outside a hotel in Sydney’s inner west 14 years ago.


Wayne Castle, 53, of Forest Lodge, pleaded not guilty to murdering Jennifer Maree Smith but guilty of her manslaughter in Central Local Court on Thursday.

His guilty plea was accepted by the Crown.

Ms Smith was found unconscious in a lane beside the Coopers Arms Hotel at Newtown on January 17, 1998.

The 32-year-old, from Elizabeth Bay in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, died a short time later of severe head injuries.

Ms Smith had lived in Elizabeth Bay for five years and was a freelance journalist for various publications.

A strike force was formed in 2010 following an inquest into her death and Castle was charged in May last year after an extensive year-long investigation.

Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.

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Magistrate Clare Farnan adjourned the matter for a sentence hearing in the Supreme Court on September 7.

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Leave a Reply

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