A REMOTE area of bushland along the Upper Turon was one of 14 sites visited by the Supreme Court yesterday as it heard evidence in the Andrew Russell murder trial.
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The area on Red Hill Road, now covered in blackberry bushes and difficult to access, was the focus of a two-day police search back in January 2013.
As part of its Bathurst sittings, the court visited various sites across Bathurst and Kelso yesterday before moving on to areas near Sofala and the Upper Turon.
Detective Senior Constable Bruce Grabham, who was sworn in as a witness late Tuesday afternoon, gave evidence throughout the day about the relevance of each site to the trial.
At Red Hill Road, Detective Grabham said it was the location where police spent two days searching for the body of Mr Russell (pictured left), who was last seen alive in June 2009.
Despite a number of searches in the Sofala and Upper Turon areas, Mr Russell’s body has never been found.
Detective Grabham said police searched the Red Hill Road site after murder accused, Tony Simmons, led an undercover officer to the site.
Another area viewed by the court was the Sofala tip, which was also the site of a police search following Mr Russell’s disappearance.
At the Sofala tip, Detective Grabham explained to the court the difference between the area as it was in 2009, at the time of Mr Russell’s alleged murder, and now.
He said the site was an open area in 2009 and the tip had pits in which people dumped their rubbish.
He said the rubbish was then bulldozed from time to time.
The site is now fenced.
Another area of significance was Wallaby Rock, near Sofala, where police used cadaver dogs to search the base of a cliff area for Mr Russell’s remains.
Another site viewed yesterday was a newsagency in William Street which was, in 2009, Chip N Dales newsagency, where Mr Russell was last seen alive on the shop’s CCTV footage.
The court also visited sites near the Evans Bridge. On Monday, the court heard evidence from a witness who believed she may have seen Mr Russell crossing the bridge in June 2009.
The witness told the court she recalled the date clearly because it was her birthday.
Another area viewed by the court was the corner of Oberon Road and the Sydney Road.
The court is expected to hear evidence of a possible sighting of Mr Russell at this location.
The trial resumes today at the Bathurst Court House.
