Blaming the bees

A son accused of murdering his father has claimed that the father shot himself on learning that his bees had “a rare infectious disease” and would have to be destroyed.

The body of Marius Jensen, 75, was found in the kitchen of his remote farmhouse near Tarrington, 290km west of Melbourne, in August 2000. He had died from a gunshot wound to the head.

His son, Douglas Victor Jensen, 39, was arrested nearly four years later and charged with murder.

The trial will continue on 31 August. Meantime, the judge has refused bail.