Dad killed by vigilantes over ‘rumours’

One of three men accused of the vigilante murder of a father later told his own child he did it because he was “rude to children”, a trial had heard.

Jordan Bottom, 24, Rikki Smith, 25, and Albert Thorn, 57, appeared in the Supreme Court of Victoria on Monday for the start of a five-week trial over the alleged murder of Bradley Lyons, 30, in December 2018.

Outlining the case against the three men, Prosecutor Raymond Gibson KC said the jury would hear evidence each had made conflicting statements about the alleged “execution”.

Mr Lyons, a father-of-four, was found buried in a shallow grave with a gunshot to the back of his head more than three months after he vanished from the eastern Victorian town of Lakes Entrance.

He lived with his wife, Jana Hooper, their three young children and four of Ms Hooper’s from previous relationships.

Mr Gibson told the jury the case against the men alleged they had formed a plan to kidnap Mr Lyons and extract a “confession” from him about the rumoured sexual abuse of girls.

He said the police investigation had later found no evidence corroborating the rumours.

The alleged attack on Mr Lyons began after he finished his early morning shift at a supermarket on December 2, when four men set upon him while he was lying in bed.

The men, who included Mr Smith and Mr Thorn, allegedly restrained and bashed Mr Lyons before he was bundled by Mr Thorn into the boot of his mum’s Toyota Corolla.

“They attacked him by surprise, they assaulted him and they restrained him,” Mr Gibson told the court.

“He suffered injuries to his face and head and was bleeding profusely.”

Mr Gibson told the court Mr Thorn drove the restrained man to his regional property, in Nyerimilang, where he was left in the boot of the car for several hours.

The jury heard Mr Thorn has pleaded guilty to kidnapping and false imprisonment, while he and Mr Smith have admitted to intentionally injuring Mr Lyons at his home.

Mr Gibson said the case alleged Mr Smith, Mr Bottom and others arrived later, discussing what to do next inside a disused water tank.

Later in the evening, the trio are accused of trying Mr Lyons to a metal massage table and further assaulting him in an effort to get him to confess.

They then allegedly drove Mr Lyons to a dirt track near Double Bridges in Victoria’s Gippsland region, dug a shallow grave and shot him with a .410 calibre shotgun.

“You will hear differing accounts as to what role each (allegedly) took or what various people did,” Mr Gibson said.

“The prosecution case is that all three men on trial here were complicit in the murder of Bradley Lyons … all three men participated voluntarily in the summary execution.”

The trio have each pleaded not guilty to Mr Lyons murder and deny they assaulted him on the massage table at Mr Thorn’s property.

Both Mr Smith and Mr Bottom have also pleaded not guilty to false imprisonment – a charge which relates to Mr Lyon allegedly being left for hours in the boot of Mr Thorn’s mum’s car.

Mr Gibson said each man had allegedly given conflicting accounts in police interviews and in conversations with witnesses the prosecution will call over the trial.

He said Mr Thorn had allegedly told his eight-year-old daughter on December 3 he had “killed someone last night”.

“He (allegedly) said he had driven out to the bush, killed him and she was not to tell a single soul,” Mr Gibson said.

“He told her he (Mr Lyons) was rude to children and sexually abused them.”

The jury heard lawyers acting for the three men will give their opening remarks when court resumed on Wednesday.

The prosecution intends to call more than 30 witnesses over the estimated five-week trial.

Seven men and seven women make up the jury that will judge the allegations against the three men.

Justice Tinney warned jurors the evidence they would hear might be challenging or “quite frightening”.

The trial continues.