A man has emphatically admitted in a Perth court to killing a fellow prisoner before he could have his day in court on child sex charges.
Evan James Martin, 43, appeared in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court via video link from Casuarina Prison on Wednesday to enter a plea on a charge of murder over an alleged attack on Ashley Bropho.
Read his charge and prompted to enter a plea, Martin enthusiastically told the court he’s “very guilty”.
As the magistrate, prosecutor, and defence discussed a sentencing date, Martin interjected to request “as early as possible would be good”.
Settling on September 28 before the Western Australia Supreme Court, Martin said “thank you, have a nice day”.
Bropho, 42, a stepbrother of Cleo Smith kidnapper Terence Kelly, was behind bars in Hakea Prison and had been preparing to face court on charges of indecent dealing with a child under the age of 13 and encouraging a child to engage in sexual acts.
He was to be sentenced after pleading guilty to luring a nine-year-old girl from a park near his home in Doubleview, in Perth’s northern suburbs, in 2022.
Bropho had offered her a Hungry Jack’s burger before taking her back to his home where he exposed himself to her and tried to assault the girl. She escaped when Bropho’s carer arrived at the property.
Bropho was found unresponsive in his Hakea cell on the morning of March 9 and was unable to be revived.
Martin, who was also being held at Hakea at the time for violent crimes, was charged with murder three weeks later.
Bropho was Kelly’s stepbrother, the pair having been raised in the same home.
Kelly, 37, was in April sentenced to more than 13 years prison over his abduction of four-year-old Cleo at a remote campsite near Carnarvon on October 21, sparking an 18-day manhunt before the little girl was recovered safe and well.