Raymond Reddington: Last friend to see suspected murder victim Sharon Fulton says she was ‘very frightened’

The last friend to see Sharon Fulton has given explosive testimony at her husband’s murder trial, saying the devoted mother of four appeared “very frightened” hours before she vanished. March 18, 1986 began like any other Tuesday morning in their Duncraig household, with the three eldest children walking to school and Mrs Fulton dropping off the youngest at his regular activity in Wangara. The 39-year-old has never been seen since. Narelle Harrison, who Mrs Fulton visited the day prior, told Raymond Reddington’s District Court of WA trial on Tuesday that her childhood friend loved her family but had become emotional amid marriage problems. “I noticed how distraught she was getting and I suggested she get advice ... legal advice,” Ms Harrison said. “I took her to one of the Legal Aid solicitors in town. I sat in on the meeting. “It actually gave her confidence knowing there were people out there who would help her.” Mrs Fulton did not take it further, the witness said, and appeared “very emotional, very frightened, anxious, scared” on that final visit to her Hillarys home. “I suggested she stay at our place that night with the children,” Ms Harrison said, but she left around 4.30pm. Erin Lawrence, a staffer at the Wangara centre, said Mr Reddington picked up their three-year-old son Heath the following morning at least an hour late. “I just remember him apologising for being late and (he) explained that he had car troubles,” she told the court. Ms Lawrence said it was the first time she had met the accused, who was then named Maxwell Robert Fulton, and agreed she got the impression that him collecting the child had not been the original plan. Lloyd Davies, who worked above Mr Reddington at RAAF Pearce, said he either arrived late or went home during the morning, probably saying “something about a domestic issue”. Mr Davies said the accused later told him that “his wife had left, he had four children to look after,” flagging the potential need for more work hours flexibility. The witness said he later provided an update, claiming: “Police had located his wife in NSW”. “I clearly remember - I even clearly remember the location where he told me,” Mr Davies said. “Police wouldn’t say where she was ... somewhere in NSW.” Uniting Church Reverend Wes Hartley said Mr Reddington visited his Manning home on March 22, 1986 “concerned that his wife had gone missing” and had earlier sounded “quite distressed” on the phone. “He said he had been looking for his wife and ... a railway was mentioned,” Rev Hartley testified, describing Mr Reddington’s description of her departure as “quite vague”. “I was taking him at face value, as you would.” And when he found out it was not Mrs Fulton, he became “quite agitated,” the reverend said. He agreed with defence counsel Jonathan Davies that police then made accusations and Mr Reddington gave indignant denials. Asked if his upset demeanour appeared genuine, Rev Hartley replied: “On the surface, yes. I believed so.” Pressed further by Prosecutor Ben Stanwix, the reverend added: “I was feeling a sense, ‘is there more that I don’t know about?’” Mr Stanwix alleges Mr Reddington, now 79, gave inconsistent accounts of last seeing his wife, initially claiming he came home from work to find she had left but later saying he dropped her off at a train station. The trial continues.