The Crime Web: The Murder of Alison Lewis

However life in Penrith was very different to the life Alison had known in the quieter town of Lithgow. She rarely went out at night and really did not feel comfortable in the city.

So after a year of study she left Penrith and moved back home to the more secure surroundings of Lithgow.

Soon the smile had returned to Alison's face. She had got her spark back and was soon going out with her friends again. Life had returned to normal for Alison and she relished in it's comfort.

Every Saturday night Alison would join her friends at the only night-club in Lithgow, the Nitespot. It was a place were the local young adults could have fun and enjoy their time together.

On March 1, 1997, the safety of the town was rocked.

The evening began as many other nights had, Alison left her house she shared with her parents and twin brothers and headed to her cousin's, 18-year old Katrina Gee, house. There the two girls drank Passion Pop together before heading out into the night to the Nitespot.

At the club the girls met up with Katrina's sisters twenty-one-year-old Nicole and twenty-three-year -old Melanie as well as another friend twenty-five-year-old Kerry Tonkin.

Though Autumn had begun it was still a nice balmy night. The girls enjoyed themselves at the Club. When the Nitespot closed at 3am, Katrina decided she would go a for a moon-lit swim at the local council pool. Katrina's boyfriend thought the idea was a good one and decided to join her.

Katrina left with her boyfriend, while the other girls decided what they would do. They were not tired and were not ready to go back home yet.

Alison left the nightclub with Michael Doalman. A young man that Alison had a crush on. She tried to persuade him to come to the swimming pool, but he declined, saying he really should be heading home. Alison walked with Michael towards his home. They detoured to a nearby hockey field where they laid down in the warm grass and had sex. Alison really liked this guy and hoped to spend more time with him. As time went on, Michael decided to go home and Alison headed for the swimming pool. She decided she would chase after Katrina and see if she could catch up with her. The idea of a swim was appealing and she decided that it was still warm enough to go in.

Kerry Tonkin and Melanie Spillane soon also decided to meet up with the others at the pool, the two young women walked along the deserted and quiet streets, they were carrying their shoes; and Melanie was carrying her handbag around her neck.. They left only minutes after Alison had headed off alone. The walk was only about 1.5km from the nightclub and there was no reason for the girls to head to the pool alone or with only one person. It was Lithgow after all. A quiet coal-mining town with only 12,000 people. the trail the girls walked was along Main Street and through a railway viaduct into James Street. James Street commences as a T-intersection with Main Street, goes under the railway line and then runs parallel to the railway line past Watsford Oval. Watsford Oval and the swimming pool are separated by George Coates Avenue, which forms a T-intersection with James Street.

Melanie and Kerry walked the same path to the pool as Katrina and her boyfriend had as well as Alison. It was a very short walk. But one that cost Alison her life.

As Melanie and Kerry got nearer to the pool area. They were attacked. Melanie was hit savagely across the back of the head. in court she claimed she felt something

"across the back of my shoulders, like somebody had hit me or thrown something at me"

Her attacker then tried to drag her onto the nearby Watsford football oval (now called the Tony Luchetti Sportsground). Kerry was hit as well before she ran off to get help and raise the alarm. Melanie put up a hard fight against her attacker, she balanced herself against the kerb of the road so the man could not drag her to the field. Though Melanie had blood running through her hair she would not give up. Her attacker yelled at her to shut up but Melanie continued to scream. The attacker grabbed her hair trying to make her move but only achieved in pulling a large clump from her already damaged scalp.

Finding herself free from her attacker's grip, Melanie ran away as fast as she could The attacker had her handbag but Melanie escaped with her life. She spotted a taxi who stopped for her and with the taxi driver went back to the oval to look for Kerry. Kerry came over to the taxi where Melanie was standing. The girls were taken to Lithgow Hospital for the treatment of shock and Melanie's wounds.

The girl's could not believe that they were attacked in their own safe community. After they were released from the hospital they went to the local police station to make a statement about their encounter.

After leaving the police station and heading home, they decided to ring the other girls to see if they were ok and to make sure they had not encountered the same man.

Alison's father answered the phone when it rung. Melanie asked Don if Alison had arrived home safely and told them about their own attack. Don Lewis told the girls that Alison had not gotten home yet. The news of the girls' attack made him instantly worried and with the help of Alison's twin brothers he out to look for her until their torches' batteries went flat.

They all walked the streets trying to find any sign of Alison, they did not find her anywhere.

At about 3.40am, Mrs Magnusson who lived near the Oval, woke up to the sounds of a woman crying in "distressed type sounds" over a period of about 10 minutes. Intermingled with the woman's cries was a male voice saying "come back here", and "stop that". She heard one male voice only and described it as "sound[ing] angry". The voices came from the direction of the footbridge over the railway line which is close to her home.

At first light, the police were again called. This time to notify them of Alison's disappearance and the possible link with the other two friends' attack the same evening in the same vicinity.

The police began a search.

By Saturday afternoon, Police found articles of Alison's clothing. All of then were blood stained and police feared the worst for the girl's safety.

By Sunday the family and friends of the Lewis' had begun a vigil hoping for the safe return of Alison. But it was not to be.

At 2.30pm on the Sunday afternoon a police dog had picked up the missing girl's sent and led police to a sand pit on the playing field only 700metres from the swimming pool.

In the sand pit of Watsford Oval police found the naked body of Alison. She had been strangled, stabbed and partially buried in the pit. The rest of her bloody clothes were strewn around a bin nearby.

Alison had been vivacious girl in life. She had been named the Lithgow Miss Show Girl the year earlier and had dreamed to teach others piano, her passion in life.

She was the only daughter of Pat and Don Lewis and was their pride and joy. Even Alison's older twin brothers, Nick and Phil always looked out for their younger sister. She was going to teach everyone to play the piano well. She loved it so much.

Yet her music talent did not stop there. She had become a qualified teacher for the piano but also had taken up dancing lessons and was a qualified jazz instructor.

In 1990 she received the McDonald's Achiever's Award when she began to play the flute.

Alison's parents reflect fondly on the beautiful sounds that always emanated from the house when Alison was practising. Yet on March 1, 1997 that was to be no more.

On the Monday, Alison was meant to begin a new degree in Music Teaching at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst. Instead Alison was dead - no more was she to play her music.

The Tuesday saw police arrest Jay Short for her murder. He had confessed to police when he was asked if he knew anything about the girl's disappearance.

The First Record of Interview
Q 39 ... Are you able to outline your movements to me for the evening of Saturday the 1st of March 1997 and the early hours of Sunday the 2nd of March 1997?
A Starting from when I left home?
Q 40 Yes.
A I've left home with a friend, we went up the street, we split up. He went home and I went up to the railway crossing bridge.
Q 41 What happened after that?
A I just sat there and then this girl come walkin' up and I just grabbed her.
Q 42 And what happened after that?
A She walked down to that track thing and I just killed her.
...
Q 45 Are you able to describe that girl to me?
A Dark hair.
Q 46 Are you able to tell me the approximate age of the girl?
A About 18, 19.
Q 47 Are you able to tell me which direction the girl walked from?
A Down the bottom of the swimming pool.
Q 48 By that do you mean she walked from the swimming pool up towards the railway level crossing which crosses the railway line at Lean and Bennetts?
A Yes.
...
Q 54 Was any other person with you at that time?
A No.
...
Q 57 Are you able to tell me what happened immediately after you grabbed that girl?
A She started cryin'.
...
A I had hold of her, behind her back and shoulder blade.
Q 60 Now, are you able to tell me which direction you walked from the railway crossing?
A Across the paddock and straight through the gate.
Q 61 And where did you take the girl at that time?
A Underneath a tree where the seat things are.
...
Q 65 Are you able to tell me if you removed that girl's clothing at that time?
A Yes.
Q 66 Are you able to tell me what other items of clothing were removed at that time?
A All of them.
Q 67 Are you able to tell me at what location you removed the young girl's clothing?
A At the cinders track.
...
A We went down the track thing.
Q 74 And what happened then?
A Killed her.
Q 75 Are you able to tell me how you killed that girl?
A Cut her wrist.
Q 76 And how did you do that?
A Piece of glass.
Q 77 Where did you obtain that piece of glass?
A On the ground beside me.
Q 78 I've been informed that the girl's also suffered head injuries. What can you tell me about that?
A I tried to pick her up. She was too heavy.
Q 79 I've been informed that the girl also received a stab wound to the left side of the neck. What can you tell me about that?
A That might have been from the piece of glass.
Q 80 I've been informed that the girl also suffered a number of other injuries to the throat. What can you tell me about that?
A They were from me hands.
Q 81 I've been informed that the girl died from strangulation. What can you tell me about that?
A Yes.
Q 82 Were you the person responsible for strangling the young lady?
A Yes.
...
Q 113 Are you able to tell me how long from the time you grabbed the girl at the railway overcrossing to the time you killed the girl?
A An hour.
Q 114 Are you able to tell me what happened during that hour?
A I just sat down and she sat down. She was crying.
Q 115 Are you able to tell me if anything else happened in that hour?
A Nothing else happened.
...
Q 120 I've been informed that the girl had an injury to the side, the right side of her head consistent with a blow from a stick or similar object. Are you able to tell me how that injury occurred?
A No.
...
Q 196 Was any other person with you when you killed the girl Alison Lewis?
A No.
...
Q 235 And you sustained that injury to her wrist?
A Yes.
Q 236 Are you able to tell me the purpose of sustaining that injury to her wrist?
A No.
Q 237 Was it your intention at that time to, when you cut her wrist to kill her?
A No.
Q 238 Are you able to tell me at what point you decided to kill her?
A I dunno.
...
Q 287 You indicated earlier that you used a piece of glass to cut the girl's wrist. Is that correct?
A Yes.
Q 288 Are you able to tell me if you can remember using that same piece of glass to inflict any other injuries on her body?
A ... on her other wrist.
Q 289 Right. So you're indicating to me now that you lacerated both wrists?
A Yes.
...
Q 348 ... Jay, you indicated earlier that you strangled the girl. Are you able to indicate to me how you did that?
A With me hands.
...
Q 354 ... When you said you placed, you strangled the girl with your hands do you mean that you placed your hands around the girl's throat?
A Yes.
Q 355 O.K. Can you explain to me where you hands were in relation to the girl's throat at that time?
A What do you mean explain?
Q 356 Are you able to tell me where you[r] thumbs were at that stage?
A No.
...
Q 378 And at what location was she on the ground when she scratched you?
A Underneath the tree.
Q 379 Are you able to tell me what you were doing to the girl at that time?
A I had my hands on her throat...."

Jay William Short was charged with her murder and appeared in court in Katoomba. He was handcuffed and bare-footed as he appeared. He did not apply for bail and no bail was given.

On March 11, 1997 Short pleaded not guilty to the murder charge as well as the assault charges for the attack on Melanie and Kerry.

Short was then sentence to appear for trial. The trial lasted from November 23 to December 14, 1998. At the killer's trial, the post mortem report shows that Alison had died from strangulation from a ligature. Short had used a piece of rope tied around the young woman's throat to kill her. Her body also bore the evidence of knife wounds and injuries inflicted so savagely that her ear drum had been perforated. She had also sustained drag marks to her body after her death. She had been killed elsewhere on the field and buried in the sand pit later.

A pubic hair from Short was found on the clothing of Alison, Short was proved guilty by that evidence alone.

However according to Short he claims that he only held Alison down while two other men - a Mr Aaron Martin and a man he only knew as the "tattooed man" attacked her. He watched the two men take her away after the initial attack he had helped with.

According to Short when the tattooed man began to slap Alison's face he left - not approving of the violence. When he returned later her found Alison's dead body and panicking, he buried it poorly in the sand pit nearby.

Aaron Martin was called before the court but denied any knowledge of the murder.

Short's childhood was also brought before the court as evidence against harsh sentencing. It was claimed he was from a seriously dysfunctional family " a bleak and saddening one".

But Short's defence claims were no excuse for the savagery committed on Alison and her friends.

In his summing up fore sentencing Justice Sully claimed that Alison "was done to death in the most cruel and wicked fashion. Her murder was, in purely objective terms, an appalling crime, calling for uncompromising denunciation and meriting severe punishment.". The judge then sentenced Jay William Short to twenty years in prison with a minimum non parole period of 16 years. For the assaults, Justice Sully added another 4 years to the man's sentence.

Bibliography

Newspaper Articles from time of murder and conviction

Regina v Short [1999] NSWSC 430 (7 May 1999)

R v Short [2000] NSWCCA 462 (3 November 2000)

By Jacqui Bendeich.
Copyright © 1998 by [The Crime Web].

Except as provided by the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the author.
Original Written: December 1998

Revised: 24 Feb 2002 18:18:43 -0800 .