A Sydney court has heard that the man found guilty of the 1988 killing of Scott Johnson used to brag about bashing gay men.
Scott White surprised the court earlier this year when he confessed in court that he was guilty of the murder. His legal team subsequently tried to withdraw his guilty plea, but the judge subsequently ruled there were no grounds to take back the confession.
On Monday, as the court prepares to hand down its sentence, the judge heard from White’s former partner who shared that he used to boast about bashing gay men. His former partner Helen White reported him to police in 2019, recounting conversations they’d had nearly 39 years earlier at the time of the murder.
27-year-old American mathematics student Scott Johnson’s death was initially ruled a suicide when his body was found at the base of cliffs at a Sydney beach. Even though the area was well known as a gay beat where targeted bashings were occurring, police told Johnson’s family he had taken his own life.
His family pushed for further investigations and two additional coronial inquests were held, his wealthy brother matching the NSW’s government in offering a substantial reward for information.
Helen White told the court that she recalled reading an article about the death of Johnson back in the 1980s, and discussed it with Scott White. Nine News were in court and reported on her testimony.
“I remember asking him if this is one of the gay men he bashed?”
“He said ‘that girly looking p—–r'” she said, adding: “he quite often bragged about bashing ‘p—–rs’.”
When it came up again in 2008, “I just asked him ‘did you do this?'” Mrs White said.
She told the court he said: “the only good p—–r is a dead p—–r”, to which she responded: “So, you threw him off the cliff?”
Mrs White said Mr White told her: “It’s not my fault the dumb f—k ran off the cliff.”
“Well it is, if you chased him,” she said she replied.
Helen White said she was unaware there was a million dollar reward on offer when she came forward to police.
On Monday the court also heard from Johnson’s family about the impact the death and years of pushing for more information had on their lives. Johnson’s partner Michael Noone also spoke about the pain he went through when he was asked to identify Johnson’s disfigured body.
Scott White will be sentenced on Tuesday, his legal team has already indicated he plans to appeal the guilty plea he entered.
OIP Staff
Do you need some support?
If you are struggling with anxiety or depression, support and counselling are available from:
QLife: 1800 184 527 / qlife.org.au (Webchat 3pm – midnight)
QLife are a counselling and referral service for LGBTQIA+ people.
DISCHARGED: info@discharged.org.au / discharged.org.au
Discharged is a trans-led support service with peer support groups for trans and gender diverse folks.
Lifeline: 13 11 14 / lifeline.org.au
Beyondblue: 1300 22 4636 / www.beyondblue.org.au
You can support our work by subscribing to our Patreon
or contributing to our GoFundMe campaign.
