Dramatic jury verdict after Gold Coast mother Kelly Wilkinson stabbed and set on fire by ex-husband

A man accused of “assisting” the killer of Gold Coast mother Kelly Wilkinson by driving him to her home and filling a jerrycan with petrol on the way has been found not guilty of murder.

Bradley Bell was on trial in the Supreme Court in Brisbane, charged with the murder of Ms Wilkinson, 28, in April 2021.

Mrs Wilkinson was murdered by her ex-husband Brian Earl Johnston, who burst into her Arundel home on the morning of April 20 that year, stabbing her repeatedly before dousing her in petrol and setting her alight.

Mr Bell is not charged with killing Ms Wilkinson.

Throughout the trial, the Crown alleged he “aided or permitted” Johnston to drive him to his ex-wife’s address, filling a jerrycan with fuel along the way.

It was also alleged that Mr Bell was aware of Johnston’s plan to murder his ex-wife, including a specific plan to “tie her up and burn her”.

Mr Bell was found not guilty of murder and the alternative charge of manslaughter by a jury on Friday.

He left the court freely the same afternoon.

Several colleagues of Mr. Bell and Mr. Johnston testified throughout the trial, as did detectives involved in the investigation and arrest of Mr. Bell.

Mr. Bell also testified when the Crown closed its case against him.

Ed Whitton, Mr. Bell’s defense lawyer, told the jury on the first day of the trial that his main focus would be on whether the Crown had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Bell “knew or expected what Johnston was going to do.”

“Bradley Bell didn’t kill anyone,” Mr Whitton said.

He urged the jury to assess the evidence fairly and objectively, including the recorded interview between Mr Bell and police.

“Please understand that there will be two sides to this story when the trial is over,” Mr Whitton said.

“I can tell you now… you will hear an explanation from Bradley Bell as to why he said these things to the police.”

Johnston was sentenced to life in prison for Ms Wilkinson’s murder earlier this year and has pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape, allegedly committed against his ex-wife in the weeks before her murder.