Simon Gittany guilty of killing Lisa Harnum; Mum says her daughter was 'completely brainwashed'

Simon Gittany is on trial in the NSW Supreme Court for the murder of his Canadian fiancee, Lisa Harnum. The Daily Telegraph's Chief Court Reporter, Amy Dale explains the complex and captivating case.

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SIMON Gittany was found guilty of throwing his fiancee Lisa Harnum to her death. Her heartbroken mum broke her silence in an exclusive interview with A Current Affair's Tracy Grimshaw.

Mrs Harnum told ACA's Grimshaw: "(Lisa) was completely brainwashed."
On Rachelle Louise: "I worried for her, she reminded me of my daughter."
A sorrowful -yet composed - Ms Harnum, said: "To us, it's basically closure, the end of this chapter.

"You never get chance to mourn your child, but today has been a release for us."
Michelle Richmond, Ms Harnum's counsellor, stepped in at times to help during the interview.

When Grimshaw asked if the case had corrupted the memory of her daughter, Ms Harnum replied: "I know she was strong and beautiful and loving."
"If your significant other always knows where you are and what you're doing, you need to take a serious look at what's going on.," she said.
She said the warning signs were her daughter losing track of her friends and (Gittany) controlling where she went and who she associated herself with.
"It’s almost like a textbook case where one minute it's 'I love you' and 'you’re beautiful', then next it’s the violence.
“All the venues he used, the taping and tracking of her telephone - she didn’t know a lot about that until the end.
"He alienated her from the outside world. Slowly, and making her feel as if this is where she belonged and this was right and he was right for her and was only doing this for her benefit.
“They were friends to begin with and she got along with him very well, she used to say that they used to talk a lot and had a lot of fun together.
”They started a relationship later on and I think that is when the problems started."
When Grimshaw asked if she wanted her daughter to leave Gittany, she replied, "I think as a mother you always worry about the choices your (children) make, but you can't always cover everything. We didn't wholeheartedly approve, but you have to allow your child to make their choices in life."
“We never knew the extent as to how much he was tracking her, I just remember one time when she was home and he kept calling her, she commented and said how does he always know where I am?

“She lost contact with her friends and was diminishing less and less and less of her friends.

“He was always controlling where she went or who she associated with.
“You can only say so much and women get into a situation where they almost don’t have a viewpoint of their own because they are afraid that it is going to go against what the man wants.”