Head In Oven Case (Press, 15 October 1980)

On 15 October 1980, the City Court in Sydney heard evidence regarding the brutal murder of Lawrie Jean Callagher, a 32-year-old New Zealand woman. Her decapitated body was discovered on 6 August 1980 in her kitchen at a residence in Wentworthville, alongside her severed head found stuffed in a gas oven. The accused, 32-year-old James Leighton Ferguson, a carpenter from Wentworthville and originally from near Pukekohe, has been charged with her murder and was committed for trial. The details presented in court revealed a gruesome crime scene, with Constable A. Leary testifying about finding Callagher's body and Ferguson's subsequent behaviour. G. Joseph Lydtard, who was a carpenter and Callagher's de facto partner, told the court that he had left the home shortly before the murder, returning to find his wife dead on the floor. He described Ferguson, who had been living with them, as a manic depressive on medication. The investigation took a startling turn when police found Ferguson walking with a child, who reportedly exclaimed, "He cut my mummy's head off." Upon apprehension, Ferguson exhibited unstable behaviour, claiming he had been undergoing medical treatment in South Australia. During police interviews, Ferguson allegedly admitted to the murder, stating, “I cut her head off.” He described a physical struggle with Callagher, asserting that it was a life-or-death situation for him. In a series of disturbing statements, he mentioned feeling a sense of strength during the attack and claimed that he had to confront her physically. Ferguson’s statements included an unsettling revelation about his feelings towards Callagher, equating her to a figure he referred to as Morag, the leader of a “coven of witches.” He indicated that his actions were borne out of a perceived necessity for survival. According to a government medical officer, Dr. G. Malouf, Callagher had been alive, though perhaps not conscious, at the time of her decapitation, which was officially determined to be the cause of death. Overall, the court proceedings painted a harrowing picture of a violent crime, with Ferguson’s mental state and disturbed perspectives being central to the narrative of the events leading to Callagher’s tragic death. The trial proceedings are expected to explore further into Ferguson's mental health issues and the disturbing circumstances surrounding the murder.

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