Narelle Atkinson: Mum accused of killing abusive husband

The trial of a Victorian woman accused of killing her abusive husband will be moved after prosecutors were unable to secure support for her children.

Lawyers acting for Narelle Atkinson, 48, appeared in the Supreme Court of Victoria on Tuesday to learn the outcome of an application by Crown prosecutors to move the trial to Melbourne.

The Shepparton woman stands accused of stabbing partner Darren Still in front of their two daughters after he threw a knife at her during an argument.

When Ms Atkinson appeared in the Shepparton Magistrates’ Court in May this year, the court was told Mr Still had a long history of domestic violence towards Ms Atkinson and their children.

She was first charged with murder after the alleged incident on June 3 last year; however, this was downgraded to a manslaughter charge.

Ms Atkinson’s defence lawyer, Robert Richter, said Mr Still man died after “advancing” onto his client and “walking into a large filleting knife”.

Giving evidence, the eldest daughter said she saw her father throw the knife at her mother before watching him “stumble” out of the bedroom.

Ms Atkinson has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and was due to face the Supreme Court in Shepparton for trial next year.

However, prosecutor Patrick Wingrove-Lupton asked for the trial to be moved to Melbourne to provide the two daughters with intermediaries at trial.

Intermediaries are neutral court officers who assist vulnerable witnesses to give evidence – first launched as a trial in 2018.

Mr Wingrove-Lupton told the court the prosecution was unable to secure this support for three witnesses, as the program was unavailable in Shepparton.

Judicial registrar Tim Freeman granted the application, saying it was “in the interest of a fair trial” to provide the girls and another male with support.

The court was told Ms Atkinson was living in Queensland while on bail and would return to Victoria for a trial that has yet to be scheduled.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrGWcp51jrrZ7zZqroqeelrlwwsicq6iqmZZ8pLvUq6usZZyWxHC6wKucpaSVYq61t8inqqimXZi1qrjDq5ynZaSkeqi11Z5knq6ZmbKvr8RmmKCZmaPAtXnMrqRmmZOYwrSxw2amn2Wbnrmttc2gZJqapai2t7GMoaysmpGjsXC6xLCqZqukpL%2B6e5WeapqblWmCd66Yb26bmWSZhHGFlG6YnWlja650fpRr