By Casey Neill
A blow to the left side of his head woke Daniel Maynard in the early hours of 22 March 2014.
On Monday 19 June, prosecutor Anne Hassan told the Supreme Court of Victoria that he saw a silhouette by his bed.
He raised his arms in defence and tried to get up, but received more blows and collapsed to the floor.
“Someone’s hitting me, someone’s hitting me”
The court heard that Christian Bain-Singh, 23, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and intentionally causing serious injury over the incident as well as pleading guilty to murdering Rani Featherston.
Ms Hassan said Mr Maynard’s partner woke to him shouting “someone’s hitting me, someone’s hitting me”, turned on her bedside lamp, saw him covered in blood and called triple zero.
She described his left hand as “having been slit down the middle and gaping open”.
Police found a 12-inch knife on Mr Maynard’s pillow.
Justice Christopher Beale will sentence Bain-Singh on Friday 28 July over this incident and the murder of Doveton woman Rani Featherston 11 days later.
He heard that Bain-Singh lived with Brodie Clifford in Oleander Street, Doveton, and that Mr Clifford had previously lived in Chestnut Road, Doveton, with Mr Maynard.
Ms Hassan said that Bain-Singh knew through Mr Clifford that Mr Maynard was dealing marijuana and kept substantial sums of cash.
Mr Maynard was treated at The Alfred hospital for a fractured to the left side of his skull, blood on the brain, cuts to his scalp, left knee, left ear, right forearm and right hand finger, and partial amputation of his left hand.
“There’s anxiety that envelopes my body, both mind and soul”
He told the court that he woke almost nightly with his body shaking and sweating.
“There’s anxiety that envelopes my body, both mind and soul,” he said.
“Having to sleep with a light on in another room provides me with a little bit of sanctuary.
“After 14 weeks in hospital and two subsequent surgeries it has left me with about 10 per cent use of my left hand and about 50 per cent use of my right.
“Fishing, my obsession for 40 years, is over. It’s just damn too hard.”
Ms Hassan said that Bain-Singh admitted to the crime during a police interview about Ms Featherston’s murder.
“He told police he broke in looking for money,” she said.
“He said when he could not find the money that was supposed to be there.”
She said that the aggravated burglary was motivated and could be understood but “the extremely violent attack on Mr Maynard remains unexplained”.
Bain-Singh’s legal representative Nadia 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 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.”
