Stabbed and stabbed again, Rani Featherston’s last moments…
By Casey Neill
Doveton woman Rani Featherston was stabbed in the back. She was chased and she was stabbed again.
On Monday 19 June the Supreme Court of Victoria heard that Christian Bain-Singh stabbed the 34-year-old with a hunting knife 21 times during the fatal attack in Lace Street, Doveton, about 2.30am on 2 April 2014.
She was about 500 metres from her home in Oleander Street. Passers-by found her body about 7am.
Prosecutor Anne Hassan said Bain-Singh described hearing “bubbling noises” coming from Ms Featherston before stabbing her one last time, dragging her onto a nature strip and leaving her under a tree.
She said CCTV footage revealed that Bain-Singh was still at the scene when he posted on his Facebook page: “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
Justice Christopher Beale will sentence the 23-year-old, who was living in Clyde North when he was arrested a year ago, on Friday 28 July.
Bain-Singh has no prior convictions and pleaded guilty to murdering Ms Featherston as well as aggravated burglary and intentionally causing serious injury in relation to a separate attack on Daniel Maynard in his Doveton home 11 days earlier.
The court heard that Bain-Singh lost his job as a butcher at Jeff’s Meats in Doveton in March 2014.
His fiance, Ms Dunlop, ended their relationship and he was struggling to pay his rent.
Ms Hassan said Bain-Singh constantly handled knives, even while reading a book, used illicit drugs and drank to excess.
The court heard that Ms Featherson “was often drunk or always drunk and verbally abusing people in the street” and had an “acrimonious interaction” with Bain-Singh on 2 November 2013.
She was running her hand along Bain-Singh’s front fence in Oleander Street, Doveton, and making his dog bark.
When confronted she threatened to jump the fence and kick the dog.
Bain-Singh called police and said Ms Featherston was “carrying on like a bloody lunatic and was probably drug and alcohol affected”.
“And there were words exchanged by Ms Featherston to him that she was going to get him”
His legal representative, Nadia Keddeche, told the court that Ms Featherston referenced this interaction when she encountered Bain-Singh on the night of her death.
Ms Keddech said her client felt threatened by Ms Featherston “because she had mentioned and recognised him from ringing the police back in November 2013”.
“And there were words exchanged by Ms Featherston to him that she was going to get him,” she said.
In April 2015, Bain-Singh started frequenting a South East brothel.
The court heard that he broke down one night and told two prostitutes about the murder, though Ms Hassan argued that his tearful account contained several lies.
One of the women called Crime Stoppers the next day.
The court heard that in April last year, Bain-Singh admitted the crime to a housemate, explaining that “he had liked her and had a thing for her, but that she didn’t want anything to do with him”.
He discussed the case with a friend wearing a recording device on 9 June last year.
Ms Hassan said that on 15 June he attended an appointment at Cranbourne Police Station and told police he was at home asleep in bed when Ms Featherston was murdered.
Police placed him in a holding cell with an undercover police operative.
“He told the operative he murdered her as a pre-emptive strike because she was crazy and had a reputation of carrying out the threats,” Ms Hassan said.
“This remains a largely unexplained and motiveless crime”
Police then executed a search warrant at Bain-Singh’s Clyde North address, seized weapons and drug paraphernalia. They confronted him and he admitted to the crime.
Ms Hassan said: “This remains a largely unexplained and motiveless crime, beyond the issue of substance abuse.”
Ms Keddeche told the court that Bain-Singh was 21 at the time and “it seems that he’d reached a point in his life where it all became too much”.
She said his family unit was “dysfunctional in the sense that he had siblings that were present from different fathers and also step siblings and there was some abuse by his stepfather”.
“What was definitely lacking in his childhood was his father figure,” she said.
Ms Keddeche said Bain-Singh “attended several secondary schools because of bullying” and that the “relationship with his mother has never been a good one”.
“He appears to have been struggling with his actions from the time of the crime… with suicidal behaviour and confessions to a prostitute.”
He was hospitalised at age 15 with depression and self-harming.
“Mr Bain Singh showed and expressed what appeared to be significant and genuine remorse,” she said.
“He appears to have been struggling with his actions from the time of the crime up until his arrest with suicidal behaviour and confessions to a prostitute he was visiting.
“He is a young man and if he is supported and gets the treatment required, his prospects are enhanced.”
Ms Keddeche said that shortly prior to his arrest he reached out to a church leader and had “found his faith again”.
“Mr Bain Singh still continues whilst he’s in custody to practise his faith,” she said.
“He advises that he’s done one Change on the Inside program which is run by the chaplain.”
