Ingrid as we will always remember her… full of life and laughter

On the 19th of November 2002, just 10 short days after the photo below was taken, Ingrid was savagely murdered in her own home. Ingrid is pictured here with the love of her life Al whose face is hidden for his own protection.

Ingrid is pictured with the love of her life Al

Al’s face is hidden for his own protection.

We will always remember the courage, friendship, laughter, and support Ingrid so freely brought to everyone even during the darkest days of her own life.

Ingrid touched the hearts of all she met and is very sorely missed.

You worked for a better future,

Your plans were all in vain,

Your life ended so abruptly,

And that tomorrow never came.

I cling to your memory tightly,

But your spirit wanders free,

And as it explores the endless heaven,

It carries a part of me.

Written for the 3rd anniversary of Ingrid’s death by M Campbell

Submitted by Ingrid's Mother, Ligita.

	You can shed tears that she is gone or you can smile because she has lived. You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back or you can open your eyes and see all she's left. Your heart can be empty because you can't see her or you can be full of the love you shared. You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday. You can remember her and only that she's gone or you can cherish her memory and let it live on. You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back or you can do what she'd want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on. Anonymous - Contributed by Ingrid’s Mother, Ligita.

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News Updates

Jealous husband guilty of stabbing
Fraser Coast Chronicle - October 6, 2003

A jealous husband has been convicted of trying to kill his wife's lover in a vicious Christmas Day attack.

Jim Lester, 44, was found guilty by a Supreme Court jury in Brisbane to the attempted murder of Alisdair Morrison on December 25, 2001.

Justice Ken Mackenzie will sentence Lester on Wednesday. The court was told Morrison and Lester's wife, Ingrid Lester, had been camping at Burrum Point, a remote area near Woodgate, south of Bundaberg on the southern Queensland coast.

Mrs Lester had left her husband three months previously after 16 years of marriage.

Lester drove into the campsite in a four wheel drive with his two sons aboard and attacked Morrison, punching and kicking him before stabbing him with a knife and bashing him over the head with a metal tent pole.

In sentencing submissions, prosecutor John Copley said Lester had a significant criminal history of violence and dishonesty related offences in Queensland and Victoria.

Mr Copley said Lester had been on bail after breaking into his estranged wife's home and breaching a domestic violence order, when he attempted to kill Morrison.

He said the attack on Morrison was a sustained and vicious one.

The prosecution has asked for a sentence of between 12 and 14 years in jail. Defence barrister Paul Smith has said nine years is an appropriate penalty.

Lester's wife and eldest son, who was aged 16, died in separate incidents last year.

Husband charged with wife’s murder

Fraser Coast Chronicle - October 7, 2005

The estranged husband of Ingrid Lester, Jim Lester, has been formally charged with her murder.

Mr Lester appeared in the Hervey Bay Magistrates Court yesterday where he was remanded in custody for committal mention on December 5.

Mrs Lester, then aged 35, was found stabbed to death at her home in Madsen Road, Pialba, on November 20, 2002.

A Cooyar man, Michael Kinsella, is serving a life sentence for her murder.

Kinsella pleaded guilty to her murder in 2003.

Yesterday, Jim Lester, wearing a red and white jacket, sat in the dock with his hands clasped during his brief appearance.

After a date was set for a committal mention, Mr Lester produced an envelope which he held up to the court.

“Can I say anything on my behalf?” he asked magistrate Tom Killeen.

Mr Killeen advised him not to speak.

Defence solicitor John Boge of Morton and Morton Solicitors was told that Mr Lester’s appearance in court would be excused on December 5.

Man jailed for life over wife's murder

The Sydney Morning Herald - November 9, 2007 - 7:39PM

A Queensland man who paid $10,000 to have his estranged wife murdered has been jailed for life.

After more than two days of deliberation, a Queensland Supreme Court jury on Friday found Hervey Bay man Jim Lester, 44, guilty of the murder of Ingrid Lester.

Ms Lester was stabbed to death with a hunting knife in her Pialba Home at Hervey Bay, north of Brisbane, in November 2002.

Another man, Michael John Kinsella, 40, has already been jailed for her murder.

Kinsella last week told the Brisbane court Lester had paid him $10,000 to murder his estranged wife.

He claimed he accepted because he was "sick of being broke".

The court heard Lester was angry at his wife over their break-up and blamed her for the death of their son Troy, who was killed in a motorcycle accident.

He was already serving a nine-year prison sentence prior to Friday's verdict - for the attempted murder of Ms Lester's new partner Alisdair Morrison in December 2001.

Defence lawyer Jack Pappas had argued Kinsella could not be trusted because he had lied to police several times before making his final confession.

"He is a natural, practised and cunning liar," he told the court.

Lester hung his head as the verdict was read out on Friday afternoon but showed little other emotion.

Justice Richard Chesterman sentenced him to life imprisonment and he will not be eligible for parole until 2022.

By that time he would have spent nearly 20 years in prison.

In sentencing, Justice Chesterman described Lester as a "cruel and dangerous man".

"You have destroyed your own life, you have had your wife's life taken away," he said.

"Your youngest son is now left without a mother or a father."

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