Simon Gittany Guilty of Killing Lisa Harnum Mum Says Her Daughter Was 'Completely Brainwashed'

11/27/13
Simon Gittany guilty of killing Lisa Harnum; Mum says her daughter was 'completely brainwashed' | News.com.au
Simon Gittany guilty of killing Lisa Harnum; Mum says her daughter was 'completely brainwashed'
1 HOUR AGO NOVEMBER 27, 2013 7:44PM
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SIMON Gittany was found guilty today of throwing his fiancee Lisa Harnum to her death. Her heartbroken mum broke her silence in an exclusive interview with A Current Affair's Tracy Grimshaw. Mrs Harnum told ACA's Grimshaw: "(Lisa) was completely brainwashed." On Rachelle Louise: "I worried for her, she reminded me of my daughter." A sorrowful -yet composed - Ms Harnum, said: "To us, it's basically closure, the end of this chapter. "You never get chance to mourn your child, but today has been a release for us." Michelle Richmond, Ms Harnum's counsellor, stepped in at times to help during the interview. When Grimshaw asked if the case had corrupted the memory of her daughter, Ms Harnum replied: "I know she was strong and beautiful and loving." "If your significant other always knows where you are and what you're doing, you need to take a serious look at what's going on.," she said. She said the warning signs were her daughter losing track of her friends and (Gittany) controlling where she went and who she associated herself with. "Its almost like a textbook case where one minute it's 'I love you' and 'youre beautiful', then next its the violence. All the venues he used, the taping and tracking of her telephone - she didnt know a lot about that until the end. "He alienated her from the outside world. Slowly, and making her feel as if this is where she belonged and this was right and he was right for her and was only doing this for her benefit. They were friends to begin with and she got along with him very well, she used to say that they used to talk a lot and had a lot of fun together. They started a relationship later on and I think that is when the problems started." When Grimshaw asked if she wanted her daughter to leave Gittany, she replied, "I think as a mother you always worry about the choices your (children) make, but you can't always cover everything. We didn't wholeheartedly approve, but you have to allow your child to make their choices in life." We never knew the extent as to how much he was tracking her, I just remember one time when she was home and he kept calling
www.news.com.au/national/what-really-happened-the-murder-trial-of-simon-gittany/story-fncynjr2-1226759925554 her, she commented and said how does he always know where I am? 1/19
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She lost contact with her friends and was diminishing less and less and less of her friends. He was always controlling where she went or who she associated with. You can only say so much and women get into a situation where they almost dont have a viewpoint of their own because they are afraid that it is going to go against what the man wants.
Outside court earlier Ms Harnum said, "there are no winners in this case''. "Two families have had their lives dramatically changed forever,'' she said. "We will always mourn the loss of our beautiful Lisa Cecilia and are working towards making her legacy a powerful wake-up call to young women. "My daughter used to say people can ask for help but children and animals cannot. "And now young women who are caught up in situations like my daughter found herself in need a voice as well.''
Joan Harnum, mother of Lisa Harnum, Gittany's girlfriend, after the verdict of Gittany at the Darlinghurst Supreme Court in Sydney. Picture: AAP Source: AAP
Ms Harnum said her daughter's favourite saying was "families are forever''. "Please go home and hug your kids and hug your wife and husband and make it families forever for everyone,'' she said. Gittany was convicted of the murder of his beautiful fiancee, Lisa Harnum, who died after being thrown from a Sydney high-rise. The judgment for Justice McCallum was handed down after almost five hours in the NSW Supreme Court. The judge ruled Lisa Harnum was thrown from the Sydney CBD apartment she shared with her abusive and controlling fiance, Simon Gittany, on the morning of July 30, 2011. She plunged 15 floors from the balcony of unit 1503 to her death.
www.news.com.au/national/what-really-happened-the-murder-trial-of-simon-gittany/story-fncynjr2-1226759925554
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Deceased: Lisa Harnum. Source: Supplied
Justice McCallum said: "I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the accused... unloaded her over the edge." The convicted murderer showed little emotion as the final verdict was read out. His new girlfriend, Rachelle Louise screamed uncontrollably: "You're wrong! You're wrong!"at the judge and had to be restrained. Gittany replied: "I love you, baby".
Simon Gittany's girlfriend, Rachelle Louise, outside the court after the guilty verdict was handed down. Picture: TwitterSource: NewsComAu
She then went outside for a cigarette surrounded by dozens of reporters, before returning to the gallery, crying. Gittany turned to face her and said: "I'm so sorry". An ambulance arrived to treat Gittany's mother, while Lisa Harnum's mother said she hopes her daughter's murder will be a "powerful wake-up call". #Gittany's girlfriend Rachelle Louise outside court pic.twitter.com/CX3OT1c1Aq Evan Zlatkis (@evanjzlatkis) November 27, 2013 Gittany will be sentenced on February 5. Tonight he will be taken by prison van to NSW's major remand centre at Silverwater in Sydney's west, where he will be strip searched and given a prison uniform. He will be interviewed by jail psychologists as to his mental state, placed in a cell and on suicide watch.
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gittany Source: DailyTelegraph
JUDGMENT DAY - WHAT WE HEARD TODAY: - In the judge-only trial, Justice McCallum judgment lasted over four hours - Distorted versions of the truth given by Gittany, judge says - Gittany was monitoring his fiancee before her death - Gittany's "scrutiny was intrusive and overbearing" - Gittany is described by judge as "controlling, abusive, out of control" - Judge says witnesses reliable, one said he saw Lisa being thrown - Judge inspected apartment and conducted "careful analysis" - No fingerprints of Lisa's on balcony, accused account "implausible" - Judge says it is "plausible" Lisa was unconscious as she fell She is satisfied #Gittany had "lost control" that morning. Amy Dale (@amydale_tele) November 27, 2013 "Lisa Harnum was prone to acting impulsively and dangerously when she was upset" judge says Amy Dale (@amydale_tele) November 27, 2013 Suggestions Lisa Harnum had the tendency to self harm "completely unfounded": Judge McCallum #Gitanny news.com.au (@newscomauHQ) November 27, 2013 THE VERDICT AS IT HAPPENED: Simon Gittany sat in the dock, listening intently to Justice Lucy McCallum read her verdict. The accused shows little emotion on his face. He had a small cup of water in front of him and wore a dark jacket and crisp white shirt. His new girlfriend, Rachelle Louise watched on. Just before the verdict was delivered, Gittany's sister placed her head in her hands, the prosecutor swiveled on his chair and listened intently while Gittany stared straight ahead. His girlfriend, Rachelle, started to cry.
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Simon Gittany, who will learn his fate today when Justice Lucy McCallum hands down her verdict, with his girlfriend Rachelle Louise during the trial. Source: News Limited
Justice McCallum said she sought to avoid being influenced by the "shocking and tragic" nature of Lisa Harnum's death and had "no doubt that (Mr Gittany) and Ms Harnum loved each other" at some point in their relationship. Lisa Harnum's mother, Joan, entered the courtroom just before the judgment began, clutching a doll and her sister's arm, with her son Jason following behind. She left 15 minutes after Justice McCallum started speaking, shaking her head in disbelief. Justice McCallum spent the first two hours detailing Gittany's relationship with Ms Harnum. She noted, "by the time of her death, Lisa Harnum had no friends except for a personal trainer and a counsellor." #Gittany balcony murder trial: Justice Lucy McCallum "its clear she (Lisa) cared enough about accused that she wanted to separate amicably" Sandra Sully (@Sandra_Sully) November 27, 2013 She believed there is no doubt Gittany was using CCTV cameras to monitor Lisa Harnum at their apartment. The court heard Ms Harnum was subjected "to a degree of scrutiny which was intrusive and overbearing". "Distorted" versions of the truth given by Gittany on events, judge says. So far in her remarks much of his evidence hasn't been accepted Amy Dale (@amydale_tele) November 27, 2013 An hour and a half into the verdict, the judge speaks of the relationship's demise - including how Ms Harnum changed her Facebook status to single and that she entered a contract for storage in Bondi, with a plan to leave her controlling fiance, Gittany. Justice McCallum said Gittany reacted in anger on the day he saw Ms Harnum had packed her bags to leave him. "I do not accept his denial (that he made enraged threats). I have no hesitation accepting evidence of... rage," she said. The "accused's denials are manifestly implausible...He was controlling and abusive...and out of control." In summarising Gittany's relationship with Ms Harnum, Justice McCallum said by the end of July it had reached crisis point: "I do not think there can be any doubt the accused was controlling, dominating and at times abusive."
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Source: DailyTelegraph
Almost two hours in, Gittany's new girlfriend stood up and left the courtroom for a cigarette. Gittany maintained attention on Justice McCallum the entire time. Two hours and twenty minutes into the reading of the judgment documents, Justice McCallum begins to talk about the night before and morning of Ms Harnum's death. The court hears Gittany and Ms Harnum watched Romeo and Juliet in bed, arm in arm the evening before she was thrown to her death from the 15th floor balcony of their Sydney apartment. Gittany said he then got up to watch porn. The judge countered this evidence: "I find it difficult to believe he was watching porn" on the morning of her death. She assumed Gittany instead got up to monitor Lisa's emails and texts. Gittany was aware the two internal cameras in the apartment were switched off by 5.15am that morning, court hears Amy Dale (@amydale_tele) November 27, 2013
CCTV picture of Simon Gittany and fiancee Lisa Harnum arguing in the hallway of their unit. Source: News Limited
Justice McCallum said there is no doubt Lisa Harnum was in absolute fear and despair on the morning of her death". Two and a half hours into the judgment, the moment she is grabbed in the hall by Gittany and it is captured on chilling CCTV is detailed. Gittany appeared tired and slumped in the dock. Says Gittany gave a "glib account" to police on the scene. "I found it unconvincing," judge says. Amy Dale (@amydale_tele) November 27, 2013 "His account of what happened appeared to exist on borrowed detail, lacking the richness of actual experience," Justice McCallum www.news.com.au/national/what-really-happened-the-murder-trial-of-simon-gittany/story-fncynjr2-1226759925554 6/19 told the court.
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Gittany was "a person playing a role, telling a story which fitted nearly with objective evidence".
Simon Gittany on close circuit television from his building. Source: Supplied
As the judgment hit the three hour mark, the judge says the witness who saw Gittany throwing something off the balcony was credible and gave "careful and compelling" evidence. Suspense built among media, on Twitter and in the court as the judgment entered its fourth hour and Justice McCallum called for a lunch break . Gittany opted for a trial by judge only, over a possible trial by jury. @byrnesh thanks love! With judge alone, reasons have to be given, not just the verdict. So she has to be thorough Amy Dale (@amydale_tele) November 27, 2013 In a strange coincidence, Gordon Wood, who was last year cleared of the cliff murder of his girlfriend Caroline Byrne, was spotted walking outside the court, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Gordon Wood surprise for Gittany trial verdict Source: News Limited
As the court returned from lunch, Gittany looked weary in the dock. The judge spoke about the moment of Ms Harnum's death, as described by a Japanese student who was standing at a bus stop opposite The Hyde apartments. There was no sound as she fell, just the sound of her hitting the pavement, the student said. The student also said he saw a man do a fist pump on the balcony.
www.news.com.au/national/what-really-happened-the-murder-trial-of-simon-gittany/story-fncynjr2-1226759925554 The judge calls the account "convincing, honest and careful" but says it neither supports
nor detracts from either Crown or7/19
Defence case.
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From the apartment, she said star witness Josh Rathmell is "reliable" and would have had a clear view of the happenings of the final moments of Ms Harnum's life. Justice McCallum said she visited apartment 1503 and saw the computer, the place where Gittany hid his hard drives and the balcony where Ms Harnum was in her last moments. "Perfectly plausible" if Gittany carried Lisa to the balcony, he wouldn't have stopped to remove her handbag. Bag was on Lisa when she fell Amy Dale (@amydale_tele) November 27, 2013 Gittany's new girlfriend Rachelle Louise mouthed: "What the f--k?" as the judge said it is "plausible" Ms Harnum was unconscious as she fell. She said there was no sign of a struggle inside or outside the apartment and "Ms Harnum could not have done what the accused said she did without leaving fingerprints" on the glass balcony. Likely Lisa Harnum was rendered unconscious before she plunged from the balcony to her death, judge finds. #Gittany Paul Bibby (@PaulEbibby) November 27, 2013 "I accept it was unlikely that the body was thrown clear of both awnings," Justice McCallum told the court. The witness did not detail this in his account, but she said his focus may have been on the man instead. CCTV footage of #Gittany in the lift following the fall shows the accused in an 'unguarded moment', Justice McCallum says. Chloe Ross (@chloebross) November 27, 2013 Justice McCallum said "Lisa Harnum may have been impulsive or maladaptive... but I do not think she was deranged". The torn up note warning of surveillance cameras found in Lisa's jeans showed she was "in a state of great fear" about #gittany Amy Dale (@amydale_tele) November 27, 2013 Intensity in the courtroom was at an all-time high after four and a half hours of Justice McCallum detailing her judgment. An emotional Joan Harnum, Lisa's mother, returned to the court, supported by three women to hear the final verdict. As the court went silent, Justice McCallum read out the verdict: Guilty. Simon Gittany has been convicted of the murder of Lisa Harnum, by throwing her off the 15th storey balcony of their Sydney apartment. "There is no doubt in my mind he was in a stage of rage at that point". DOESN'T accept his version of what happened that morning Amy Dale (@amydale_tele) November 27, 2013
Accused murderer Simon Gittany. Source: News Limited
THE GITTANY TRIAL:
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The prosecution built a case around a jealous man who controlled his beautiful lover - ultimately leading to her death. Gittany, 40, is
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accused of throwing Harnum, an aspiring model and glamorous former ballerina, from the balcony of their high-rise apartment. This is the case that has intrigued Australia.
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Gittany proposal
Accused Simon Gittany proposes to balcony fall victim Lisa Harnum
At 9.55am on July 30, 2011, Lisa Harnum's body hit the hard, cold pavement underneath her Sydney CBD apartment.
Lisa Harnum's handbag contents scattered next to her body. Source: Supplied
She plunged 15 floors from the balcony of unit 1503, which she shared with her fianc Simon Gittany.
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The Hyde building 157 Liverpool St, Sydney. Picture: Attila Szilvasi Source: Supplied
The morning of her death, Lisa, 30, and Gittany become involved in an argument, the court heard.
CCTV footage taken during the argument. Source: Supplied
The Crown alleged Gittany discovered the former ballerina was planning to leave him. The court heard she had smuggled clothes out of their apartment, packed a suitcase and tried to book an international flight. Crown Prosecutor Mark Tedeschi described Ms Harnum's fianc as a controlling man, who monitored her every move, including installing CCTV cameras inside their apartment.
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Love letter from Lisa to Simon. Source: News Limited
Gittany admitted in the trial he was a "jealous partner". "She would wear revealing clothes, sometimes with no bra. I would tell her she should continue to look beautiful but just to tone down how much she was revealing of her body so she didn't attract the wrong sort of attention and give out the wrong signals," he told the court.
A hidden camera found in the unit. Source: News Limited
He restricted her work as a hairdresser, social activities, gym training, clothes and hairstyle along with her friendships. "He didn't want her going to the gym, clubs, pubs, restaurants, because Simon would become enraged and jealous," said Mr Tedeschi.
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Lisa Harnum at the gym. Source: Supplied
"He was not satisfied with her having even the tiniest part of her life that he didn't know about or control," Mr Tedeschi said. "Your honour could only conclude that her isolation was precisely what he wanted."
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Alleged murder victim Lisa Harnum in gym vid

Video evidence tendered in the trial of Simon Gittany shows former fiancee training at gym, with Gittany behind the camera.
The defence claimed Ms Harnum's struggle with an eating disorder may have been the reason she jumped to her death. In the weeks before she died, Ms Harnum had told her counsellor she was again suffering from bulimia, but she did not want her fianc to know.
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Picture: REX Source: Supplied
The court heard she developed the illness as a teen ballerina, sliced her wrists during adolescence, had a history of anxiety and often suffered from suicidal thoughts.
Picture: REX Source: Supplied
In chilling evidence before the court, Ms Harnum's final moments were recorded on a hidden pinhole camera in the hallway outside their luxury unit.
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CCTV footage showing murder suspect Gittany grab Ms Harnum. Source: Supplied
The footage allegedly shows Gittany put his hand around Ms Harnum's mouth and drag her back inside as she tries to flee the apartment. A witness said she heard her scream: "Help me. God help me". Sixty-nine seconds later, she was dead.
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CCTV captures Lisa Harnum's final moments

CCTV footage shows Lisa Harnum and Simon Gittany together minutes before her death.
Gittany's barrister, Phillip Strickland SC, claimed Ms Harnum had sat calmly on the couch after she was dragged inside, then suddenly ran to the balcony, climbed over and "disappeared".
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The balcony from where Lisa Harnum fell to her death. Source: Supplied
Ms Harnum went over the edge with her handbag. No fingerprints were found on the railing. The Crown alleges Gittany threw Ms Harnum off the balcony, opposite Hyde Park, in a fit of rage as he was furious she was leaving him.
Ms Harnum plunged from this balcony. Source: News Limited
A neighbour told the court she heard "a single bone-chilling scream" during this time. Another witness said he saw a man punching into the air after something went over the balcony. In more chilling footage, a shirtless Gittany can be seen 14 seconds after his fiancee's death leaving the apartment. He puts his hands on his head in the hallway and then returns inside.
www.news.com.au/national/what-really-happened-the-murder-trial-of-simon-gittany/story-fncynjr2-1226759925554 15/19
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1:41
Gittany was 'berserk with rage'

A court has heard accused murderer Simon Gittany was apoplectic at the thought of his fiancee leaving him.
After 33 seconds, he leaves his apartment again, this time wearing a white shirt. He enters the lift. He throws his hands in the air, bends over and is clearly agitated. These moments are captured by Hyde Apartment's lift security camera.
Gittany enters the lift. Source: Supplied
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He appears agitated. Source: Supplied
He is emotional and gesturing. Source: Supplied
He then runs out of the lift to where his fiance lies dead on Liverpool Street.
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In the apartment foyer. Source: Supplied
A ripped up note was found in Ms Harnum's pocket. In her handwriting, it said she was being constantly monitored. "There are cameras inside and outside the house".
The note found in Lisa Harnums pocket. Source: Supplied
Gittany has been supported in court by his new girlfriend, Rachelle Louise.
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PSimon Gittany with his girlfriend Rachelle Louise entering Supreme Court. Source: Supplied
The closing statements were presented in court on November 14.
Simon Gittany and his new girlfriend. Source: News Limited
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Simon Gittany Guilty of Killing Lisa Harnum Mum Says Her Daughter Was 'Completely Brainwashed'

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Simon Gittany Guilty of Killing Lisa Harnum Mum Says Her Daughter Was 'Completely Brainwashed'

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11/27/13

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Deceased: Lisa Harnum. Source: Supplied

gittany Source: DailyTelegraph

nor detracts from either Crown or7/19

Accused murderer Simon Gittany. Source: News Limited

THE GITTANY TRIAL:

CCTV footage taken during the argument. Source: Supplied

Love letter from Lisa to Simon. Source: News Limited

A hidden camera found in the unit. Source: News Limited

Lisa Harnum at the gym. Source: Supplied

Alleged murder victim Lisa Harnum in gym vid

Picture: REX Source: Supplied

Picture: REX Source: Supplied

CCTV captures Lisa Harnum's final moments

Ms Harnum plunged from this balcony. Source: News Limited

Gittany was 'berserk with rage'

Gittany enters the lift. Source: Supplied

He appears agitated. Source: Supplied

He is emotional and gesturing. Source: Supplied

In the apartment foyer. Source: Supplied

The note found in Lisa Harnums pocket. Source: Supplied

The closing statements were presented in court on November 14.

Simon Gittany and his new girlfriend. Source: News Limited

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