A teenage girl has recalled the moment she was forced to take on an her alleged axe-murderer father.
Now aged 18, Suzy – not her real name – bravely fronted the Supreme Court of Victoria on Monday to testify against her father Dinush Kurera, 47, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering his estranged wife Nelomi Perera, 43.
The alleged rampage happened in the family home in Sandhurst, 37km southeast of Melbourne, just weeks before Christmas in 2022.
Aged just 16 at the time, Suzy told the jury she attempted to stop her father using the axe against her terrified mother, who was huddled on a chair and attempted to hide her face from the blows.
‘I stood up as well in between them and was kind of holding his arm and pushing him a little bit, or trying to push him away,’ she said via video link from a remote location.
Both Suzy and her now 19-year old brother have been forced to give evidence against their father, who police allege murdered their mum in rage when she filed for divorce.
Suzy claimed she attempted to protect her mother from her father’s axe swings up to four times before he managed to land a blow.
Dinush Kurera, 47, stands accused of murdering his estranged wife Nelomi Perera, 43
‘Every time except for the last time … the last time he got up he started, wanted to go hit her,’ she said.
‘He was angry. And she was huddled up in the chair and her arms were blocking her face … he swung at her and I obviously moved because I didn’t want to get hit and he hit her around the face to neck area.’
Suzy said she couldn’t recall how many times her father hit her mum, who desperately tried to protect her children in her final moments alive.
Kurera has also pleaded not guilty to another charge of assault against his 17-year old son during the same alleged attack.
The court heard Suzy’s brother Billy – also not his real name – attempted to flee upon seeing the alleged axe attack against their mother.
‘When dad started to hit mum (Billy) ran out the back door,’ Suzy said.
‘(Dad) chased after Billy … mum also chased after the both of them.’
On Monday morning, Billy was cross examined by Kurera’s barrister John Desmond, who grilled the teenager about his version of events.
Mr Desmond repeatedly suggested Billy was deliberately avoiding answering his questions and was at risk of committing the crime of perjury.
The Sandhurst property where the bloody murder allegedly happened
The court heard Ms Perera had been terrified of her estranged husband in the days before he allegedly murdered her.
Suzy told the jury she had heard her father threaten to kill her mum during a phone call before the deadly confrontation.
‘He said “I’m going to f**king kill you”,’ Suzy told the jury.
The court heard Kurera had come to the family home dressed in black and armed with the axe after having an intervention order served on him just days earlier.
His wife had caught her husband cheating on her with a woman while he was supposedly on a business trip to their homeland in Sri Lanka.
Suzy claimed her father had threatened to kill them all, burn down the house and kill himself if they attempted to call the police.
Yet in between the alleged attack he asked his children if they would consider dumping their mother and living with him.
‘I said why would I want to if you threaten mum with an axe,’ Suzy told the jury.
The court heard Kurera blamed his wife for ruining his life and interrogated his children about her love life.
‘Was she being a wh*re,’ Suzy claimed her father asked.
‘I said I knew nothing, but (Billy) told him she was talking to someone.’
Dinush Kurera makes his way into the Supreme Court of Victoria on Wednesday
Dinush Kurera, Nelomi Perera and their family
Kurera allegedly struck by surprise in the dead of night after returning home from Sri Lanka.
Crown prosecutor Mark Gibson KC told the jury Ms Perera had just months earlier began a new relationship with a man.
‘Billy, who thought that instead of trying to make the situation or this is betworse by naming (that man), told his father that Nelomie was seeing a few people,’ Mr Gibson said.
‘This unfortunate comment by Billy, the Crown says, caused Mr Kurera to become more infuriated with Nelomie.’
Graphic video and photos of the bloody aftermath of what allegedly happened next were shown to the jury last week.
The jury heard Kurera approached his estranged wife and struck her body with the hatchet multiple times.
When his son attempted to flee, he was allegedly chased down by his father and struck in the back with the same hatchet.
The jury heard Ms Perera fought desperately to save her son, screaming at Kurera to ‘get off him’.
Her efforts allowed Billy to escape, leaving his sister to allegedly witness what came next.
Mr Desmond maintained Ms Perera died after coming at his client with a knife.
‘He grappled with her over the knife, in her murderous rage and he defended himself and the deceased was killed,’ he said.
‘Rage met rage.’
The trial continues.
