Simone Strobel inquest: Coroner to determine lies surrounding 2005 death of backpacker in Lismore

In the two decades since the naked body of a young German backpacker was found under palm fronds on a bocce court on the NSW north coast, many lies have been told.

But an extraordinary investigation that began on Monday into the murder of 25-year-old Simone Strobel has now ordered a coroner to determine which lies were a deliberate attempt to cover up a crime or a cry for help.

At the center of the book of lies is Tobias Moran, Ms Strobel’s then boyfriend, who traveled from his home in Perth with his wife Sam to listen to the inquest into Ms Strobel’s death in Lismore in February 2005.

Lidcombe Coroner’s Court in Sydney heard he created numerous inconsistent stories, some of which have since been revealed to be lies.

This is the second time an inquest has been held into Ms Strobel’s death. During Monday’s hearing there was a “significant amount of evidence” that was not available during the first hearing in 2007.

That includes DNA techniques that were still being carried out a fortnight ago, and what the court heard from the coroner includes a series of lies, boasts and inconsistencies that must now be established.

Philip Strickland SC, laying out the case before presiding NSW State Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan, told the court it had to determine what the lies were, and their significance, from a range of potential suspects and witnesses.

The alleged lies include several statements made by Mr Moran after her death and again after her body was found, to both Australian and German police, as well as by his sister Katrin Suckfuelll and friend Jens Martin who were traveling with the couple when the murder took place. .

But then there are others, including those of Lismore’s colorful locals – at least two of whom ‘confessed’ to friends that they were responsible for her murder.

Ms Strobel and her boyfriend, then known as Tobias Suckfuell, had been on an Aussie road trip adventure in February 2005 when they were joined by Ms Suckfuelll and Mr Martin and stopped at Lismore Caravan Park.

The four went out drinking at the local pubs and were so drunk that they were refused service and asked to leave an establishment. When she returned to the park, Ms Strobel got into a verbal argument with her partner. What followed next is contradictory.

Her body was found six days later, naked and loosely covered with palm fronds at a disused bocce and tennis center. She was in such a state of decomposition that the court heard for the first time that a sexual assault could not be ruled out.

Her diary described how the trip had failed over the past few days until the morning of her death. There was evidence that they had had an argument that night, but Mr Moran, his sister and Mr Martin lied or diminished the severity of the break-up, how much each of them had to drink, about smoking cannabis and, crucially, the direction in which Mrs. Strobel apparently stormed away the last time she was seen alive.

Mr Moran, who said he had nothing to do with her death, also told Ms Strobel’s parents they had not had an argument and were not drinking heavily. Mr Moran later told police he had lied because he thought they were not taking him seriously about her disappearance. Mr Martin later told police that Mr Moran had told him what to say.

The court heard evidence that there was no way Ms Strobel’s body could have been disposed of as it was found by just one person and that two or more people were likely involved. The bowling alley was located in a known criminal hotspot in Lismore, where ‘unsavory’ locals drank.

Mr Moran was in court on Monday with his wife, lawyer and her parents.

Outside court, Ms Strobel’s brother and sister, Alexander and Christina, who traveled from Germany for the hearing, said lies were a theme surrounding their loved one’s death.

“Today we learned in court, through counsel assisting the coroner, that Tobias Moran has consistently lied to police and our family about the circumstances surrounding my sister’s murder. We are hopeful that in the course of this inquest we will discover why so many lies have been told and what the truth is about my sister’s death.”

Chistina added: “My sister actually raised me with a very close bond and she was violently taken from me. She was a kind person who loved life. She was looking forward to her adventure to Australia and will be greatly missed by her family and friends.”