The mother of a former police officer accused of murdering two men has been charged with perverting the course of justice after allegedly attempting to influence a key witness in her son’s trial.
Coleen Lamarre, 63, was arrested in Balmain, New South Wales, and charged with perverting the course of justice, an offence carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years. She was refused bail and is due to appear in court on Thursday.
Her son, Beau Lamarre-Condon, was charged with the double murder of Luke Davies and Jesse Baird in February 2024. The bodies of Mr Baird, a former TV presenter, and Mr Davies, a Qantas flight attendant, were found inside surfboard bags at a rural property in Bungonia. Lamarre-Condon, who had a prior casual relationship with Mr Baird, is alleged to have shot the couple with his police pistol.
Lamarre-Condon is due to face trial in September, with proceedings expected to last two to three months. His legal representation has changed multiple times; in November 2024, his high-profile defence lawyer was replaced by Legal Aid, which later withdrew, and he is now represented by solicitor Ben Archbold.
The former police officer was sacked from the force weeks after the alleged murders. He had joined the police in 2019 and previously ran a celebrity blog, posing with stars including Taylor Swift and Harry Styles. The case, which occurred ahead of Mardi Gras, led to a request for police not to march in the parade, and the then-police commissioner faced criticism for describing the murders as a “crime of passion”.
