Accused Claremont serial killer Bradley Edwards is at the centre of the longest and most expensive criminal trial in Western Australia's history and yesterday was the first time the public heard from him.
He is the man at the centre of the longest and most expensive criminal trial in Western Australia's history, accused of one of the state's most shocking crimes — but the public has barely heard him speak a word. Until now. For the first time, the public has been allowed to see Bradley Robert Edwards give an account of himself in the WA Supreme Court, where he is standing trial for the wilful murders of three young women who vanished from an upmarket Perth nightspot in 1996 and 1997 — a series of crimes that became known as the Claremont serial killings. Mild-mannered, calm and dressed in a red polo shirt, the now 51-year-old Edwards seems like any ordinary middle-aged man in the video recording of his interview with police following his 2016 arrest. The video, filmed over a 12-hour period, is the first time the public has been allowed to see Edwards talking about the crimes, and provides a rare insight into his defence of the charges against him. Polite denials that came undone Initially he appears confused by what is happening to him, and when asked repeatedly if he would like a lawyer, Edwards demurs. But soon he begins volunteering information on all aspects of his life. The video of police interviewing Edwards was filmed over 12 hours. ( ABC News ) Seated at a small circular table with Detective Senior Sergeant Joe Marrapodi and Detective Sergeant Aaron Capes, Edwards alternately rests his elbows on the table and leans back in his chair as he responds to their questions and explains his personal and work history. He is polite and quietly spoken when he repeatedly tells the pair he has no knowledge of the killings of Ciara Glennon, Jane Rimmer or Sarah Spiers, or of assaults on two teenagers in 1988 and 1995, including the violent abduction and rape of a girl in Karrakatta Cemetery. Yet three years later, on the eve of his trial, he admitted to both attacks on the teenagers. It is his denial of those crimes in the police interview that state prosecutor Carmel Barbagallo argues "casts serious doubt" on his denials in regard to the alleged Claremont murders. In the interview, he tells police he has heard of the Claremont crimes. "I think everyone's aware of that," he says, but he is "110, 120 per cent positive" he had no involvement in any of them. He is not familiar with the Claremont area and had rarely been there, he says, and definitely has never been to popular local nightspots Club Bay View or the Continental Hotel — venues the three young women visited on the nights of their disappearances. It is at this point, nearly two hours into the interview, Senior Sergeant Marrapodi informs him that his DNA has been associated with the crimes, and asks if he can explain why. Edwards maintains his calm demeanour as he expresses his disbelief. "I can't believe what you're saying," he says. Soon after, when he is told DNA samples will shortly be collected from him, Edwards appears to become visibly distressed for the first time, running his hands through his hair and shaking his head as another detective prepares to take a mouth swab and hair sample. His voice cracking with the strain, Edwards quietly tells the officer his name and date of birth before the samples are taken, but does not appear aggressive or angry. Senior Sergeant Joe Marrapodi led the questioning of Edwards. ( ABC News: Charlotte Hamlyn ) Edwards's close bond with parents Elsewhere in the wide-ranging interview, Edwards is asked about his family and upbringing, and the close bond he shares with his parents is readily apparent from his…