Skip to comments.

Posted on 04/28/2024 12:38:06 AM PDT by Morgana

Warning: This story contains graphic content.

A Perth jury has heard graphic details of the bludgeoning death of an eight-months pregnant woman, who was allegedly killed because her lover could not convince her to have an abortion.

Janet Dweh, 36, was found covered in blood and face down in bed in her Dayton home on October 4, 2021. She had been struck in the head with a claw hammer 30 times.

Days later, the father of her unborn child, Hassan Jabbie, 53, was arrested and charged with her murder after police say they found incriminating voice messages he allegedly sent her, calling her a prostitute and a harlot and telling her to get rid of the baby.

During the first day of Jabbie’s trial in the WA Supreme Court on Wednesday, state prosecutor Paul Usher alleged that in one audio message Jabbie called Dweh a “disgrace to humanity”.

“He also told her she was dirty and nasty and generally disparaged her,” Usher told the court.

Jabbie was married but had been separated from his wife during his relationship with Dweh.

Usher also told the court Jabbie could be seen on CCTV footage going to Dweh’s house on the day she was killed before he allegedly stole the hard drive to her security cameras.

“Jabbie did not want Janet Dweh to give birth to that baby,” he said.

“He disclosed to police that he was still technically married ... and that it would look really bad to have a child while still married.”

The jury was also told Jabbie was captured on CCTV at Crown Casino in the hours after Dweh’s death, and heard how, following his arrest, an undercover police officer posed as a fellow inmate at the Perth Watch House to try and elicit a confession.

The court heard Jabbie told the undercover officer he had been charged with murder, and maintained it was a conspiracy against him – but added there was clothing “buried deep” that was incriminating.

The police allegedly later found that clothing, along with a claw hammer containing Jabbie’s DNA, buried on a vacant block close to his Ellenbrook home.

Jabbie has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. His lawyer Sean Dworcan told the court the matter was a case of mistaken identity.

“We are going to suggest alternative theories, ones that we say you cannot reasonably discount,” he told the jury.

“We are going to suggest that it’s quite possible someone else killed Janet Dweh.”

Dworcan asked the jury to “keep an open mind” despite the evidence against his client, namely the abusive messages played to them by the prosecutor earlier on Wednesday.

“By about September of 2021, Ms Dweh, it would appear, had told some people in the community that Mr Jabbie was the father of her unborn child,” he said.

“That was something that concerned Mr Jabbie very much.

“He was concerned about his reputation and he was concerned about the impact on his family.

“Some conflict grew between Mr Jabbie and Ms Dweh and the conflict really came from Mr Jabbie for the reason I have mentioned. He was being pressured by his wife in certain ways, and he resorted to some rather poor behaviour. We don’t pretend otherwise.”

Dworcan also urged the jury to consider that someone else was seen on CCTV approaching Dweh’s home on the night she was killed, and that someone else was responsible for burying the clothes and a hammer on vacant land near Jabbie’s house.

Dworcan also said Jabbie’s 15-year-old daughter had provided an alibi for her father, claiming he was home with her in Ellenbrook at the time of Dweh’s death.

The trial continues.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.