By Casey Neill
A man who worked as a butcher in Pakenham is awaiting sentencing over a murder and a separate knife attack.
On Monday 19 June, the Supreme Court of Victoria heard that Christian Bain-Singh, 23, stabbed 34-year-old Rani Featherston 21 times during a fatal attack in Lace Street, Doveton, about 2.30am on 2 April 2014.
He pleaded guilty to the murder, as well as aggravated burglary and intentionally causing serious injury in relation to a separate attack on Daniel Maynard in his Doveton home 11 days earlier.
Justice Christopher Beale will sentence Bain-Singh, who was living in Clyde North when he was arrested a year ago, on Friday 28 July.
The court heard that in August 2015, police attended Bain-Singh’s Pakenham workplace to ask him about Ms Featherston’s death.
He told police he was home in bed on the night of the murder and was working in Pakenham as a butcher at the time.
Prosecutor Anne Hassan said that on 15 June, Bain-Singh attended an appointment at Cranbourne Police Station and again told police he was at home asleep in bed when Ms Featherston was murdered.
“He said that he had to be up at 4.30am to start trial work with his employer … in Pakenham,” she said.
But police then placed him in a holding cell with an undercover operative.
“He told the operative he murdered her as a pre-emptive strike because she was crazy and had a reputation of carrying out the threats,” Ms Hassan said.
“He told the operative he had an alibi rehearsed in respect of Rani’s murder.
“He said his old boss would say he was at work at 5.50am.”
Police then executed a search warrant at Bain-Singh’s Clyde North address, seized weapons and drug paraphernalia.
Ms Hassan said they confronted him with information including that they had checked his work records with his Pakenham employer and he had not started work there until 6 June 2014.
He admitted to Ms Featherston’s murder and to attacking Mr Maynard in his bed while he slept, leaving his left hand “slit down the middle and gaping open” and severe head wounds.
Police found a 12-inch knife on Mr Maynard’s pillow.
Ms Hassan told the court that Bain-Singh stabbed Ms Featherston in the back.
“She was chased and she was stabbed again,” she said.
Passers-by found her body about 7am, about 500 metres from her home in Oleander Street.
CCTV footage revealed Bain-Singh was still at the scene when he posted on his Facebook page: “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
The court heard that Bain-Singh lost his job as a butcher at Jeff’s Meats in Doveton in March 2014.
His fiancee, Ms Dunlop, ended their relationship and he was struggling to pay his rent.
Ms Hassan said Bain-Singh constantly handled knives, even while reading a book, used illicit drugs and drank to excess.
The court heard he had an “acrimonious interaction” with Ms Featherston on 2 November 2013.
She was running her hand along Bain-Singh’s front fence in Oleander Street and making his dog bark.
When confronted she threatened to jump the fence and kick the dog.
Bain-Singh called police and said Ms Featherston was “carrying on like a bloody lunatic and was probably drug and alcohol affected”.
His legal representative, Nadia Keddeche, told the court that Ms Featherston referenced this interaction when she encountered Bain-Singh on the night of her death.
Ms Keddech said her client felt threatened by Ms Featherston “because she had mentioned and recognised him from ringing the police back in November 2013”.
“And there were words exchanged by Ms Featherston to him that she was going to get him,” she said.
Ms Keddeche told the court that Bain-Singh was 21 at the time and “it seems that he’d reached a point in his life where it all became too much”.
She said his family unit was “dysfunctional in the sense that he had siblings that were present from different fathers and also step siblings and there was some abuse by his stepfather”.
“What was definitely lacking in his childhood was his father figure,” she said.
Ms Keddeche said Bain-Singh “attended several secondary schools because of bullying” and that the “relationship with his mother had never been a good one”.
He was hospitalised at age 15 with depression and self-harming.
“Mr Bain Singh showed and expressed what appeared to be significant and genuine remorse,” she said.
“He appears to have been struggling with his actions from the time of the crime up until his arrest with suicidal behaviour and confessions to a prostitute he was visiting.
“He is a young man, and if he is supported and gets the treatment required, his prospects are enhanced.”
Ms Keddeche said that shortly prior to his arrest he reached out to a church leader and had “found his faith again”.
“Mr Bain Singh still continues while he’s in custody to practise his faith,” she said.
“He advises that he’s done one Change on the Inside program which is run by the chaplain.”
