Lisa Govan: Club Deroes bikie Andrew Edhouse jumped on missing woman’s head as she lay on floor of clubhouse

Club Deroes bikie elder Andrew Edhouse jumped on Lisa Govan’s head as she lay on the floor of his gang’s Kalgoorlie clubhouse, an inquest into the 25-year murder mystery has been told. The sickening attack on the morning of October 8, 1999, was witnessed by a man who had earlier delivered cocaine to the clubhouse. Tradesman Kevin Smith later told his employee Ross Edwards about what he had seen as he stood at the front door of the bikie headquarters. Mr Smith told Mr Edwards that he believed the blow had killed the woman. The coronial inquiry was read excerpts of Mr Edwards’ multiple statements to police, in which he claimed he and Mr Smith had gone to the Boulder Road clubhouse after being phoned by Trevor Atkinson. Mr Atkinson, who was a friend of Mr Smith’s and an associate of Mr Edhouse, had wanted drugs, the court was told. Mr Edwards told police that he had seen Ms Govan standing near the clubhouse when the cocaine was delivered. Mr Atkinson and Mr Edhouse were close by, acting like they were drunk. Mr Edwards’ statements reveal that he and Mr Smith returned to the building soon after because they needed to collect a staple gun they had left there while doing some previous work. “Smith opened the door and yelled out to Edhouse,” WA coronial investigations officer Det-Sen. Sgt Timothy Lines told the inquest. “Edhouse came to the door. He handed them the staple gun.” Counsel Assisting Sue Markham said that when Mr Smith got back into the car, he told Mr Edwards that he had seen a woman lying on the floor inside the clubhouse. “While he was taking to Edhouse, Edhouse had run off and jumped on the woman’s head,” Ms Markham said. Mr Atkinson watched the attack from behind the clubhouse bar, Ms Markham said. “He (Mr Smith) confided in Mr Edwards that the female was deceased and that they needed to get their story straight,” Ms Markham said. Ms Markham claimed that Mr Smith and Mr Edwards conspired to limit what they told police about what happened that morning. The men agreed to only tell detectives that they had seen Ms Govan standing outside the clubhouse around 7.20am or 7.30am. Det-Sen. Sgt Lines said Mr Smith had been “arrested on suspicion of being accessory after the fact but he was released”. Coroner Michael Jenkin said Mr Smith, who will testify on Wednesday, had denied ever speaking to Mr Edwards, Mr Edhouse or Mr Atkinson about Ms Govan’s disappearance. The description of Ms Govan’s death came after the inquest was told about what police found in the clubhouse when they raided the building six days after Ms Govan disappeared. Sections of the floor had been repainted and a section of carpet near the pool table had been removed, Ms Markham said. Ms Markham asked Det-Sen. Sgt Lines why it took police so long to examine the clubhouse. The officer said he did not know but agreed with Coroner Jenkin that “ideally, in hindsight” it should have been raided earlier. The inquest heard that in 2017 police raided the Deroes’ new clubhouse. “It was believed the pool table at that premise was the pool table from the original building,” Ms Markham said. “I understand there was no useful evidence collected. No trace of Lisa.” Mr Edhouse was arrested and hauled into a police interrogation room in 2017 after the special crime squad raid but he was released without charge. SEE MORE IN OUR SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE VIDEO SERIES CATCHING LISA’S KILLER HERE. Catching Lisa’s Killer: The Inquest is hosted by Ben Harvey and Natalie Bonjolo, creators of the true-crime docuseries, Catching Lisa’s Killer: Fear and Murder in Kalgoorlie.