Ioli Hadjilyra: Bradley Scott Edwards jailed after pleading guilty to manslaughter

A man has been jailed for nine years for the “appalling” manslaughter of a woman in a Brisbane park, but could be released on parole before Christmas with time already served.

Bradley Scott Edwards, 38, was due to stand trial Monday for the murder of 26-year-old Ioli Hadjilyra, but pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Edwards faced the Brisbane Supreme Court on Friday for sentencing.

Ms Hadjilyra’s battered and partially hidden body was found by council staff in a garden bed in Kalinga Park in Brisbane’s north on September 4, 2019.

Ms. Hadjilyra, a talented cartoonist originally from Cyprus, was discovered next to some of her artwork.

Her father was in court Friday for the sentencing.

A pathologist was unable to determine Ms Hadjilyra’s precise cause of death, but it was likely asphyxia or neck compression with complications from drug poisoning.

Crown prosecutor Elizabeth Kelso said there was no evidence Edwards provided assistance to Ms Hadjilyra after she was injured and instead hid her body and bag.

Edwards, a tall man, sat in the dock as Ms Kelso described the victim as ‘quite small in size’, measuring 167cm tall and weighing less than 50kg.

The court heard Edwards had a long history of non-violent offending after being convicted of rape and torture as a youthful offender.

Ms Kelso said Ms Hadjilyra had a long history of mental health problems and had problems using methamphetamine and cannabis.

Edwards and Ms Hadjilyra met in Brisbane’s CBD and traveled to the park on public transport with the aim of obtaining drugs, but Edwards was seen leaving alone.

He was arrested two weeks later and accepted being seen on CCTV footage with Ms Hadjilyra.

While speaking to an undercover officer, Edwards said he couldn’t remember much as he had smoked 15 doses of methamphetamine and not slept for nine days.

Defense attorney Jacob Robson said Edwards was remorseful and had made an unsolicited offer to write an apology letter.

“He has made progress over the last four years in custody… he realizes that the manner in which he disposed of the body was deeply deplorable,” Robson said.

He said Edwards had a learning disability and had been treated for schizophrenia with auditory hallucinations while in custody.

Judge Sue Brown said prosecutors had accepted Edwards did not intend to cause Ms Hadjilyra’s death and that he had a history of child abuse and mental health problems.

“You still did something terrible in the actions that took her life,” Judge Brown said.

She said Mrs Hadjilyra had planned to visit her mother’s grave and Edwards’ unprovoked attack had only increased the family’s suffering.

“You left her alone like she was worthless. She wasn’t, she was someone’s daughter, sister, friend, she was loved,” the judge said.

Judge Brown said Ms Hadjilyra’s father had said not a day went by without him thinking about her and how she died.

Edwards was sentenced on December 9 this year to nine years in prison with parole due to the four years and two months sentence.