Major development on Larissa Rita Mae-Leigh Sant, the mum accused of mowing down and killing partner’s ex Kiesha Thompson in alleged hit-and-run in Daisy Hill
A mother accused of the “disturbing” murder of her partner’s ex-girlfriend outside a Logan childcare center has been granted bail.
Kiesha Thompson was walking home on the footpath after dropping her young daughter off at daycare in Daisy Hill, south of Brisbane, when she was struck by a Toyota Prado 4WD allegedly with fake number plates in July.
The young mother, 23, died in hospital later that evening.
The police suspect it was intentional.
The alleged driver was 24-year-old Larissa Rita Mae-Leigh Sant.
Sant and her partner Tyler Scott William James were later charged with murder.
James and Thompson had an intimate relationship in the months before the alleged murder, police said.
Detective Inspector Chris Knight said James was allegedly involved in the planning of the murder, but Sant was behind the wheel of the car.
Larissa Rita Mae-Leigh Sant, 24 (pictured), who has been charged with the murder of her partner’s ex-girlfriend, has been granted bail
Sant applied for bail in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday, where the prosecutor said she had changed the Toyota Prado’s number plates before the alleged murder.
District Attorney Nathan Crane said Sant found a similar model vehicle on Facebook Marketplace and used its license plates.
She swapped the license plates a few days earlier at a shopping center in Logan and swapped them back after the alleged murder.
“There is consistency in the method,” the prosecutor said.
Judge Peter Davis accepted the prosecution’s concession that would prove Sant was the driver and intended to kill the 23-year-old mother.
“The Crown has evidence which prima facie suggests that Ms Sant and the gentleman involved made considerable planning prior to the incident in which Ms Thompson died,” the judge said.
Kiesha Thompson, 23, (pictured) died after being struck by a four-wheel drive Toyota Prado in Daisy Hill, south Brisbane, in July
Sant and her partner Tyler Scott William James (pictured centre) were later charged with murder in Ms Thompson’s death
‘There are a number of disturbing aspects to the case. It appears that the Prado had a fake license plate and that after driving out the license plate was changed back to the legitimate one.
“There are indications that certainly link the Prado to the accident.”
Sant’s lawyer said the suspect was the mother of three children, all under the age of six, and was a low flight risk.
She had no criminal history or passport and had never left the country, the court heard.
“The contention is that it is unrealistic to think that she is going to pack up three children under the age of six and escape jurisdiction,” the judge said.
Kiesha Thompson (pictured) was walking home along the sidewalk after dropping her young daughter off at daycare before she was struck by the vehicle
Sant was supported by family at the court as the prosecutor read letters she had written to them while in custody.
“I can’t be away from them for so long… I have to go home to them,” Sant wrote of her children.
“I don’t want to spend 15 years here… I can’t get over the fact that I could very well miss out on the children’s lives.”
Sant was granted bail under strict conditions and must wear a GPS tracking device.