Sharon Phillips: Man who accused his father of murder could have been involved himself – Coroner
A man who accused his father of murdering a young woman could also have been involved in her disappearance but there was not enough evidence against either man, a coroner has found.
Ian Seeley, who is the stepson of main suspect Raymond Peter Mulvihill, is seen trying to shield himself from the media as he leaves the Brisbane Coroners Court in Brisbane, Wednesday, March 24, 2021.. (AAP Image/Darren England)
Sharron Phillips, 20, vanished on May 8, 1986, while waiting for her boyfriend after running out of petrol in Wacol, in southwest Brisbane.
State Coroner Terry Ryan reopened the inquest into her disappearance after taxi driver Raymond Peter Mulvihill was identified as the number one suspect by police.
Mr Ryan on Monday handed down findings that Ms Phillips was dead with the cause and precise circumstances unknown,and the person or persons responsible being unable to be identified.
Mr Mulvihill’s stepson Ian Seeley testified during hearings in 2020 and 2021 that he contacted a former detective in 2016 and said his father was responsible for abducting and killing her.
Mr Ryan said Mr Seeley was an unreliable witness and his evidence was not enough to support his allegations against Mr Mulvihill.
“Given the inconsistencies and lack of credibility that can be afforded to Mr Seeley and the absence of further reliable evidence … I am not able to conclude that Mr Mulvihill played a role in Sharron’s disappearance to the necessary standard,” Mr Ryan said.
Mr Mulvihill died of cancer in 2002 and Queensland Police advised the Coroners Court in 2017 that he would have been arrested for the murder of Ms Phillips based on available evidence had he still been alive.
Mr Ryan said Mr Seeley claimed at the hearings that Mr Mulvihill threatened him with a knife after he realised his father had placed a captive person in the boot of his car
“It is significant as to the reliability of this fresh allegation that Mr Seeley only suggested that an assault had taken place after he admitted that he knew someone was in the boot but continued to drive,” Mr Ryan said.
The coroner said there was evidence to support Mr Seeley and Mr Mulvihill being in the Wacol area when Ms Phillips disappeared.
However, Mr Ryan found Mr Seeley had a commercial motive to lie in order to benefit his podcast about the case and had made unsupported claims, such as his father having murdered at least 10 other women and hidden the bodies in a drain alongside Ms Phillips.
“It is possible that both Mr Mulvihill and Mr Seeley had some involvement in Sharron’s disappearance,” Mr Ryan said.
Mr Ryan recommended the Queensland police commissioner ensures Ms Phillips’s death remains with the cold case investigation team for review and monitoring of any new information.
“I acknowledge Sharron’s family, who have lived with continual and unresolved grief for over 38 years,” Mr Ryan said.
