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EXCLUSIVE: Mystery as creepy piles of children’s toys and games are suddenly thrown outside a $5 MILLION beachside mansion where the executive, 74, is accused of killing his wife
- Steven Barker accused of murdering his wife in October
- Items were seen scattered in front of Bronte’s house.
- The children’s toys, books and furniture had been emptied.
- Barker is due to appear in court again in February.
Children’s toys, board games and odd pieces of furniture have been seen strewn across the driveway of a beachside home owned by a man accused of murdering his wife.
Business development manager Steven Barker, 74, was charged with murdering his wife Christine after police were called to their home in Bronte Road, Bronte, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, on October 6.
Officers found his wife, also 74, outside their home with serious injuries.
She was rushed to St Vincent’s Hospital but could not be saved.
Family members have since vacated the home, three months after it was declared a crime scene and cordoned off with police tape.
Several items were seen dumped across the natural strip just after New Year’s Day in an apparent sign that the family is cleaning up for 2023.
Among the items were DVDs, stuffed animals, books for adults and children, cushions and chairs.
Steven Barker, 74, was charged with the murder of his wife Christine, who was found seriously injured outside their Bronte home in October.
Children’s toys, books and strange furniture were seen lying on the natural strip.
Since then, family members have cleared the house with various items seen strewn across the driveway earlier this month.
Inside the garage where the family Mazda once stood, there were piles of old furniture, with sofa cushions, rugs, a mattress, and a dusty mirror, all thrown carelessly in a corner.
Wooden chairs, a glass table, a towel, and overflowing trash cans were also seen toward the rear of the garage.
The Barker family home, a California-style bungalow less than 2,000 feet from Bronte Beach, last sold in 1983 for $150,000, property records show.
Real estate data showed the house is worth at least $4.7 million given its location in the middle of Australia’s most expensive property market.
Homes in Bronte Beach alone can fetch as much as $25 million.
Police officers set up a crime scene at Bronte’s home after the alleged murder occurred.
The locals were on their morning commute when they saw the crime scene set up in the house.
Barker worked as a business development manager for telecom network installation company Schokman, according to his LinkedIn.
The 74-year-old is currently behind bars and has been since his arrest in October.
His case was referred to in Waverley Local Court on 8 December. There was no request for bail and she was denied.
Detectives toured the multi-million dollar home as officers worked the crime scene.
At an earlier hearing, Barker’s Legal Aid attorney argued that he would face difficulties in custody, would need medical assistance and was willing to meet multiple bail conditions.
He said the nature of the alleged crime was due to the “disintegration of the relationship in the home.”
Images from the scene on the night of the alleged attack show the old man, with gray hair, a beard and glasses, being taken out of the house with his hands behind his back.
Blood stains were visible on the sleeve of his T-shirt, and there appeared to be a bruise under his left eye.
Barker will face court on February 23.