A court has heard shocking new details of how neighbours sounded the alarm about a Redlands family before the horror house fire that killed a father and his five children.<\/p>\n
Neighbours claimed they often heard yelling, arguing and screaming coming from Samantha Stephenson\u2019s Russell Island home before the 2023 blaze that claimed her partner Wayne Godinet\u2019s life \u2013 along with the lives of the couple\u2019s five sons.<\/p>\n
Zackary Stephenson, 11, Harrison Stephenson, 10, Nickolas Stephenson, 3, and four-year-old twins Koah and Kyza Godinet all perished in the blaze with their father, 34 \u2013 while Ms Stephenson and her stepsister Connie Campbell managed to escape.<\/p>\n
A Brisbane coroner will probe the deaths at an inquest later this year, examining what caused the fire, whether working smoke alarms could have saved their lives, and whether any household dispute played any role in contributing to the deaths.<\/p>\n
A pre-inquest conference held on Tuesday heard how emergency services received the first of 20 triple-0 calls alerting to a \u201cmassive\u201d and \u201cout of control\u201d fire at the family\u2019s Todman Street home at 6.18am on August 6, 2023.<\/p>\n
Counsel assisting Corinne Leach said the callers included a neighbour, who claimed they had heard arguing from the home at around 5am that morning and before the fire.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne caller says \u2026 you can hear the screaming and there\u2019s kids there,\u201d Ms Leach said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother says: \u2018We knew that one day they would kill these kids, but nobody has done anything. There\u2019s always screaming, the house is f**king horrid; I\u2019ve called the police a number of times\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
The court heard Ms Stephenson \u2013 who is not accused of any wrongdoing \u2013 told police that she and Mr Godinet had fallen asleep the night before the fire in a makeshift entertainment space underneath the raised Queenslander-style rental house, where they had smoked cigarettes after putting the children to bed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt some time later, Samantha recalls being woken by Wayne moving on top of her,\u201d Ms Leach said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe then screamed no, and she saw thick black smoke everywhere coming from all around the ceiling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Leach said Ms Stephenson had run outside and helped her sister escape via the veranda, while Mr Godinet went upstairs for the children \u2013 but tragically did not emerge.<\/p>\n
The court heard investigations into the blaze have been unable to determine a cause and could not rule out an electrical source or human-initiated ignition.<\/p>\n
\u201cA comprehensive fire investigation report \u2026 concluded it was probable the fire had initially developed on the ground floor level, with the exact point of origin unable to be determined due to the severity of damage,\u201d Ms Leach said.<\/p>\n
She noted the home\u2019s power points had been described as \u201cbad\u201d \u2013 hanging out, with exposed wires \u2013 and one power point in particular, where the couple had recently connected an extension lead to power the makeshift entertainment space, had been known to short out.<\/p>\n
The court heard Ms Stephenson had previously raised concerns about the home\u2019s lack of working smoke alarms with the building\u2019s owner, but nothing had been done about it.<\/p>\n
The owner was fined $774 in March 2024 after she pleaded guilty to failing to comply with smoke alarm installation requirements. No convictions were recorded.<\/p>\n
Ms Leach said there would be 16 witnesses expected to give evidence at the inquest, including Ms Stephenson and her sister.<\/p>\n
She said Mr Godinet had been described by those who knew him as hardworking, reserved, and a \u201cvery good father\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWayne was not the biological father of Zackary or Harrison, but had been in their lives for a substantial period and was said to have been raising them as his own children,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The inquest will commence at Brisbane Coroners Court on November 16, 2026, and is expected to run for four to five days.<\/p>\n
Deputy State Coroner Donald MacKenzie said the court would allow for the inquest to run for up to 10 days, however, noting he had concerns about potential delays caused by witnesses travelling from Russell Island.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe originally were hoping to have this at the Cleveland Courthouse \u2026 The police are very concerned that, given some rivalries that are on the island, that they can control anything that might be a problem,\u201d Mr MacKenzie explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a very emotional matter \u2013 so that\u2019s my concern is that we\u2019re going to have some hiccup in the first week \u2026 but everything will be done to try and get this wrapped up as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
The court heard the inquest would also explore whether the emergency service resources located on Russell Island are sufficient and whether any additional resources could have prevented the deaths.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A court has heard shocking new details of how neighbours sounded the alarm about a Redlands family 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