The first came during the evidence of Mr Clinton Mutten who, on 14 May 2024, told the jury about the little girl lost to him, his family, and the community when she was murdered by the offender on or about 12 January 2022. The second was during the evidence of the offender on 3 June 2024, when he gave his account of the death of Charlise Mutten,[1] an account that the jury must have rejected, correctly, in my view.
2 Charlise Mutten was nine years old when, full of excitement at seeing her mother and the man she hoped might be her new father, she travelled from Queensland to spend part of the school holidays in the Blue Mountains. Charlise lived permanently with her maternal grandparents; they had been her guardians and carers since she was four years of age. In his evidence, Mr Mutten told the Court about the little girl whose life was so violently cut short in the new year of 2022. Charlise loved books and was a keen reader of the Dog Man series, perhaps because of her great love of dogs and all animals. She liked school and was very good at spelling and arithmetic. She was a healthy, active child who enjoyed sports, and was involved in swimming and karate.
3 Charlise had a close and loving relationship with her grandparents, but also with her mother Kallista, even though they lived apart. The two communicated regularly by telephone video calls, and Charlise was always excited to speak to her mother. Charlise had never had contact with her father and, to some extent, she must have felt that absence. After the offender became romantically involved with Kallista Mutten and joined in with video calls to Charlise, Charlise told her grandfather that she liked Justin Stein and, heartbreakingly, in light of what followed, she asked Mr Mutten if the offender would be a "good dad" for her.[2] When Charlise was not able to go on a planned Easter visit to her mother in April 2021 she cried herself to sleep. When the visit was rescheduled for the Christmas and New Year of 2021-2022, she eagerly looked forward to it. It was ineffably sad listening to Mr Mutten describe Charlise's joy at the prospect of that holiday with her mother and the man she hoped would be her father, knowing what was to become of her.
