Supreme Court jury hears 'rumour mill ran wild' following discovery of Michelle Bright's body

Rumours spread like wildfire throughout the small community of Gulgong after the body of a 17-year-old girl was found in March 1999, day six of a trial to determine whether Craig Henry Rumsby murdered the teenager revealed.

The trial of 56-year-old Rumsby, the man allegedly responsible for the death of Michelle Bright, resumed in Dubbo Supreme Court on Wednesday, May 10. The trial had been paused until then due to the Crown prosecutor testing positive to COVID-19.

Ms Bright has been identified with the permission of her family.

READ ALSO: Driver convicted for going 99km/h in 50 zone

Seven witnesses were called to the stand for questioning regarding their whereabouts, observations, and who they were with on February 26 and 27; around the days Ms Bright disappeared in 1999.

A witness, Justin James Parkins, was head baker at a bakery on Gulgong's Mayne Street at the time. He told the court he knew Ms Bright as well as her parents, Loraine and Greg.

The Crown prosecutor Lee Carr SC (Senior Counsel) proceeded to question Mr Parkins about the town atmosphere following the discovery of Ms Bright's body.

"After Michelle was found, is it fair to say the rumour mill at Gulgong had run wild?," Mr Carr said.

"Most definitely," Mr Parkins said.

"There was finger-pointing going on?," Mr Carr asked.

"Constantly," Mr Parkins said.

Another witness, Mr Parkins' girlfriend in 1999, also said there were "a lot of rumours" spreading after the tragic news of Ms Bright's death broke.

READ ALSO: Repeat swindler's spending spree keeps him in jail after 19 fresh offences

On the night of February 26, 1999, Mr Parkins said he had gone to the same 15th birthday party Ms Bright had been invited to, to check if his girlfriend was there.

"I didn't go inside. I just pulled out the front and made an inquiry about my girlfriend," Mr Parkins said.

When he pulled up he said he saw Ms Bright but did not speak to her. Mr Parkins said he then went home and set an alarm for 2.40am as he was starting work at 3am on February 27, 1999.

Mr Parkins also confirmed Ms Bright's friend, Ben Howard, was an apprentice baker at the same bakery and came to work in uniform about 3am.

Mr Howard previously told the jury he had dropped Ms Bright off on Mayne Street at the front of the Commercial Hotel earlier that morning.

READ ALSO: Man throws tomato stake at mother after being asked to clean up

The jury heard from two other witnesses who were patrons at Gulgong's Prince of Wales Hotel around the time of Ms Bright's disappearance in the early hours of February 27.

Mr Carr asked them both if they had seen Ms Bright or had anything to do with her death, they confirmed they did not.

Shane Weatherly, another witness, said he knew of Ms Bright and would say "hello" to her.

He was a patron at both Commercial and Prince of Wales hotels on February 26, 1999. He told the jury he had been walking home about midnight with a friend along Herbert Street.

Mr Weatherly said a man he knew called out to him from the other side of the street, walked up to him, punched him, and an altercation ensued between them. Mr Weatherly said he had not seen Ms Bright during that time.

Earlier in the trial, the jury heard Ms Bright was seen walking along Herbert Street when a loud group of young men were on the other side of the road. The court was told there was no interaction between the parties.

The final witness on day six was a former NSW police officer stationed in Gulgong in 1999. He told the court he had been patrolling the small town until 4am on February 27 and had not seen anything "untoward".

The trial resumes in Dubbo on Thursday, May 11.

Support is available for those who may be distressed.

Reading this on mobile web? Download our news app here. It's faster, easier to read and we'll send you alerts for breaking news as it happens.