Brian Heathcote

A man has been sentenced to life in jail for murdering Brisbane Retail Radio announcer Brian Heathcote.  A Brisbane Supreme Court jury took just three hours to find 22-year-old Tyson Barden of Buderim on the Sunshine Coast guilty of brutally bashing Heathcote as he walked home from a pub at Nundah on January 21st, 2007.  Full story. 39-year-old Heathcote died from asphyxiation caused by serious head injuries from Barden's attack.  During the week-long trial the court was told Barden attacked Heathcote because he'd tried to chat up his fiancee.  He followed Heathcote from the pub bashed and robbed him and then left him to die. 

In handing down the mandatory life sentence, Justice Margaret Wilson has said it was senseless violence, completely unjustified by any behaviour of Mr Heathcote.

A former colleague of Heathcote, Helmes Media Solutions GM and 4BC announcer Joel Helmes told JJ that he hopes the verdict gives Brian's family some closure. "Brian was a lovely guy, had a passion for radio and was a great loss" says Joel.

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