THE long-term partner of part-time Daylesford resident Stuart Rattle has pleaded guilty to murdering the renowned interior designer.
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Michael O’Neill, 48, yesterday pleaded guilty to murdering Mr Rattle, his partner of 16 years, and setting fire to his South Yarra apartment.
Mr Rattle’s body was found in his burnt-out home in December.
Police alleged he had been killed days before his body was discovered by firefighters who battled the blaze at the two-storey apartment complex in Malvern Road.
Mr Rattle, known for his classic, timeless designs and his clever use of colour, lived in South Yarra and also at a farm at Musk, just outside Daylesford.
He was considered to be a generous member of the community in the area.
O’Neill’s barrister, Ruth Shann, told the court on Tuesday her client was in a ‘‘fragile state of mind’’ and had lost 20 kilograms since his arrest.
She applied to have Mr O’Neill’s record of interview with police suppressed from the media in court, saying his ‘‘intense distress is apparent’’ in the interview.
She said there was also an absence of an explanation for why O’Neill ‘‘spontaneously reacted as he did’’.
Magistrate Gerard Lethbridge rejected her application.
‘‘Yes, Your Honour, I am. I am guilty, Your Honour,’’ O’Neill said when asked for a plea.