Sheree Glastonbury, Mark Murphy plead not guilty to alleged ‘wheelie bin’ murder of Geoffrey McLean

The man and woman who stand accused of torturing and murdering a man in a gruesome alleged love triangle slaughter have pleaded not guilty to the heinous allegations.

Sheree Glastonbury and Mark Murphy pleaded their innocence at the South Australian Supreme Court before The Honourable Chief Justice Chris Kourakis on Monday to the murder of Geoffrey McLean, who was Ms Glastonbury’s former partner.

The police allege Ms Glastonbury and her lover Mr Murphy imposed a brutal campaign of violence upon Mr McLean for months before murdering him in August 2022.

From early April to mid May, the police allege Ms Glastonbury and Mr Murphy assaulted Mr McLean on three occasions, including with a log splitter and a bucket of hydrochloric acid, and tried to murder him on a separate occasion.

On August 18, police allege the pair murdered Mr McLean at an Andrews Farm address in Adelaide’s outer north and then dismembered him and stuffed him into a wheelie bin.

Ms Glastonbury and Mr Murphy, appearing via videolink from custody, pleaded not guilty to all the charges against them.

The pair will now face trial in 2025.

Mr Murphy’s twin brother Peter and his partner Lynette Sexton also appeared in court from custody to answer the allegation they helped Ms Glastonbury and Mark to get away with the gruesome alleged murder.

Police allege between August 18 and October 25, the pair failed to report the location of the remains of Mr McLean to police, knowing Ms Glastonbury and Mark had committed a murder.

The police also allege they stored Mr Mclean’s remains at their home address, hired a budget rental truck to transport the remains, loaded the wheelie bin with the remains into the truck and then conveyed Mark and the wheelie bin to a shopping centre where they cleaned the truck.

They then conveyed Mark and the bin to a vacant lot in Salisbury South, where the bin was abandoned, the police allege.

The pair pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Marie Shaw KC, appearing for Ms Glastonbury, indicated the defence would apply for separate trials and asked for an initial directions hearing in March, which Chief Justice Kourakis granted.

All four remain in custody.

In October 2022, police found Mr McLean’s torso in the bin at the Salisbury South location.

The police arrested and charged Ms Glastonbury and Mark Murphy on March 6, 2023, and arrested and charged Peter Murphy and Lynette Sexton on March 22, 2023.