Naman Shrestha
When 30-year-old Lisa Harnum was found dead on the sidewalk in front of her apartment building in Sydney, Australia, in the summer of 2011, the entire community was left shell-shocked. The investigation revealed the isolated and controlled life of Lisa, who lost touch with her family and friends in the weeks prior to her demise. As the detectives delved deeper, they found incriminating evidence against the perpetrator. All the intricate details about the case and the investigation that ensued are covered in Investigation Discovery’s ‘Web of Lies: Never Let Her Go,’ which also features exclusive and emotional interviews with Lisa’s family and friends.
Lisa Harnum Was Found Dead in Front of Her Apartment Building in Sydney
On June 12, 1981, in Scarborough, Ontario, Joan Harnum welcomed Lisa Cecilia Harnum into the world as a little bundle of joy. Growing up, Lisa shared a close-knit bond with her older brother, Jason Harnum, and sister, Barbara. During her teenage years, she went through several ups and downs due to the bullying she endured from grade school to adulthood. Lisa also allegedly battled an eating disorder and overcame it. Through her experience, she also helped others dealing with similar struggles. Passionate about ballet dancing, she became a ballerina before deciding to relocate to Australia and work in the hair and makeup industry.
After moving to Sydney in 2005, Lisa soon joined the Australian Hair and Beauty College because she was interested in hairdressing, fashion, and makeup. In January 2010, she met Simon Gittany while she was looking for a flatmate. After sharing a flat in Sydney, the two formed a close friendship before they eventually dated. More than a year later, on her 30th birthday, she accepted Simon’s proposal, and they got engaged. However, before she could get married, her life was abruptly ended on the morning of July 30, 2011, as the 30-year-old woman was found dead on the sidewalk in front of the Hyde luxury apartments, where she resided on the 15th floor. The police arrived and pronounced her dead, deeming that the fall from her 15th-floor apartment was the cause of her death.
Lisa Harnum’s Killer Controlled Her Life in Various Ways
While the police were inspecting the scene, Lisa Harnum’s fiancé, Simon Gittany, stated that she had become hysterical and climbed over the balcony. Claiming that he tried to stop her from falling, he told the detectives, “I saw her step over the railing onto the little cliff face. I was just grabbing her.” Portraying her as suicidal, Simon also claimed that she lost her footing after she climbed over the balcony’s railing, causing her to fall. Still suspicious about his possible involvement in Lisa’s demise, the police dug deeper into Lisa’s relationship with Simon. That’s when they learned that he was an allegedly controlling, possessive, and abusive partner towards her.
Whenever Lisa went to Toronto, Ontario, to visit her friends and family, Simon allegedly kept a close eye on her, controlling where she was allowed to go and who she was allowed to meet. In November 2010, it is alleged that he also forced her to discontinue working at the Australian Hair and Beauty College. Around the same time, the couple moved into a new home, where he installed some tiny pinhole cameras in different spots. Thus, it was a shock to Lisa’s family when she accepted his engagement proposal on June 12, 2011. In the following weeks, Lisa talked to her personal trainer, Lisa Brown, and counselor, Michelle Richmond, about the restrictions that Simon placed on her work, clothing, and other aspects of her life.
The Killer Was Captured in the Security Footage Captured by the Pinhole Camera He Installed
Deciding to leave Simon, Lisa began packing her clothes and other belongings into pillowcases in order to avoid suspicion from Simon. She handed the pillowcases to her personal trainer, who took them to Michelle, who stored them in a storage unit. However, when he found out about her plans to leave, he became aggressive towards her and forced her to kneel. Confused as to how he learned about her plan and what she was up to, Lisa decided to look into his computer. She was shocked to learn that he had been secretly monitoring her text messages, listening to her calls, and reading her emails through spyware software on her phone and computer.
On the morning of July 30, 2011, as she was leaving the house for good, Simon rushed up behind her and dragged her back into the apartment. In a matter of a minute or so, he threw Lisa down from the balcony of their 15th-floor apartment. A witness, Joshua Rathmell, came forward and told detectives he saw a man unloading Lisa from the balcony, thereby discrediting Simon’s claims that she had slipped from the railing. Moreover, the pinhole security camera in the hallway right outside the home also captured him violently dragging Lisa into the apartment, just a few seconds before her death. Thus, he was arrested and charged with Lisa Harnum’s homicide. It turned out that Simon had a temper that had landed him in prison on multiple occasions previously, dating back to 1991.
Simon Gittany is Currently Incarcerated at an Australian Prison
Maintaining his innocence, Simon Gittany pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and decided to take matters into court. In October 2013, his murder trial commenced. By that time, he had begun dating another woman, Rachelle Louise, who supported him during the trial. The prosecution presented a series of evidence against the defendant, including the CCTV camera footage from inside the apartment. They also focused on his habit of keeping close tabs on Lisa Harnum using computer software. On November 27, 2013, after about a week of deliberation, the jury found him guilty of killing his fiancée, Lisa. A few months later, in early February 2014, he was sentenced to a maximum of 26 years and a minimum of 18 years in prison for his crime. As of August 2016, he was serving his term at the Parklea prison in New South Wales, Australia, with his parole eligibility date scheduled for 2031.
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