BERITA BAHASA INDONESIA

Appearance (BETA) Follow system settings Select an optionAlways lightAlways darkFollow system settingsFind any issues using dark mode? Please let us know

A court sketch of Raymond Reddington, who is on trial  charged with murdering his wife Sharon Fulton in the 1980s.  (Supplied: Anne Barnetson)

A woman allegedly murdered by her husband in 1986 was "frightened" the day before she vanished, a Perth court has heard.

Sharon Fulton and her husband Raymond Reddington were having marriage difficulties and a friend said she was distraught, the court was told.

Mr Reddington told his colleague his wife had been found by police in New South Wales, the colleague testified.

Link copiedShareShare articleA woman allegedly murdered by her husband in Perth 40 years ago seemed frightened in the hours before her disappearance, her close friend has told a Perth court.

Raymond Reddington, 79, is on trial in the WA Supreme Court, accused of murdering his wife Sharon Fulton in Duncraig in March 1986.

The court has heard that Mrs Fulton and Mr Reddington, who was then known as Robert Fulton, were having marriage difficulties.

Friend Narelle Harrison told the court Mrs Fulton had been at her house in Hillarys the day before she vanished, and they had discussed the couple's marriage.

She said Mrs Fulton was distraught, and seemed "frightened" and "scared".

Narelle Harrison was a friend of Sharon Fulton. (ABC News: David Weber)

Ms Harrison said she "suggested she stay at our place that night," with her children, but she left about 4:30 pm.

She later became aware that Mrs Fulton had disappeared the following day.

The court has heard Mr Fulton told police she said she needed time to herself, and later said she had gone to Queensland

Earlier in the trial the court heard from Mrs Fulton's eldest child, Derek, who said the morning he last saw his mother was the same as any other, with her making lunches and getting the kids to school.

Perth woman Sharon Fulton was reported missing by her husband four days after she was last seen. (ABC News: Supplied)

Heath Fulton, aged three at the time, went to the Sound and Co-ordination Centre at Wangara on the Tuesday his mother disappeared.

The court has been told Heath was dropped off there by Sharon Fulton, but Erin Lawrence, who worked there, gave evidence on Tuesday she was not "100 per cent sure" if it was her or Robert Fulton.

Ms Lawrence told the court Heath was picked up by his father, who said he had car troubles, an hour later than expected, at 11:30am.

Raymond Reddington was extradited to Perth from Port Macquarie in New South Wales in 2023.  (Supplied: WA Police)

In a statement to police in 1986, Ms Lawrence said she thought it had been Mrs Fulton who had dropped him off.

Lloyd Davies, a flight lieutenant who worked with Mr Fulton at Pearce air base, said he told him his wife had gone.

"He told me his wife had left, he had four children to look after," he told the court via video link.

But Mr Fulton subsequently told him his wife had been found interstate, he said.

"Police had located his wife in New South Wales," he told the court.

The Supreme Court was shown a missing person's form from 1986, with Sharon Fulton's name and details on it, noting she was born in Dubbo, NSW, and the right side of her face was partially paralysed from Bell's Palsey.

The form also stated she had never been missing before and that she and her husband had "marriage problems for some time".

Raymond Reddington failed to report his wife missing for several days, changed his story multiple times and wrote a fake confession letter to the state coroner, a Perth court hears.

The form also noted Mr Fulton wasn't "agreeable" to publicity.

Former police officer Elizabeth Hannaby of the missing persons bureau said Mr Fulton had reported that he had arrived home on March 18 and "his wife had just left".

According to Ms Hannaby, Mr Fulton said his wife had told him the previous day that she needed time for herself.

Ms Hannaby told the court he called police several days later with more information about his wife's disappearance.

This time, Mr Fulton said he had gone home from Pearce air base and "Sharon had asked him to take her to East Perth railway station".

He said they sat at the station and talked for 20 minutes, before Mrs Fulton asked him because she did not want him to see who was picking her up.

Ms Hannaby said Mr Fulton changed his phone number and had contacted Telecom, the precursor to Telstra, to make sure it was not listed in the telephone directory.

She told the court he said he wanted to do this because a man had called and asked for Mrs Fulton.

Copy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesViolent protesters or police brutality? Key moments from Sydney protestTopic:Police

Topic:Federal Government

Topic:Telecommunications Services Industry

Topic:Federal Government

Topic:Telecommunications Services Industry

Rain streams down Uluru as large parts of NT soaked by wet weatherTopic:Weather

This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.