‘Very aberrant behaviour’: Court told of NRL star’s mum’s alleged acts before horror triple-fatal crash

The mother of an NRL star charged with killing three people in a horror crash allegedly displayed “aberrant” behaviour in the lead-up to hopping behind the wheel, a court has been told. Uiatu “Joan” Taufua is charged with three counts of manslaughter over the deaths of Susan Zimmer, 70, her daughter Steffanie, 35, and Ms Zimmer’s former partner Chris Fawcett, 79, following a crash in Bonogin, in the Gold Coast hinterland region in December 2022. Police allege Ms Taufua was driving a black 2017 Mercedes wagon which collided with another car just before 5pm on December 30. The Zimmers and Mr Fawcett were in a silver Mercedes which was knocked from the road into a power pole. Ms Taufua, the mother of Broncos forward Payne Haas, was the sole survivor. The case has languished in the courts since police first charged Ms Taufua, who was only committed to stand trial in the Supreme Court in November 2024. On Thursday, the court was told more time was needed for a psychiatrist to finalise his report in Ms Taufua’s case. Barrister Martin Longhurst said data from his client’s phone – which sparked an earlier delay back in August – had been provided. “In the time leading up to the driving, the defendant had (allegedly) been displaying very aberrant behaviour with respect to a recently deceased disabled child,” Mr Longhurst clarified. “That includes … going for frequent walks at all hours of the morning, indicating to family members she was taking her son for a walk in his wheelchair.” Mr Longhurst is referring to Chace Haas, Ms Taufua’s son who was left quadriplegic following a car accident in 1999. Chace died in 2020. Mr Longhurst told the court text messages and communications allegedly recovered from Ms Taufua’s phone would go to her “state of mind” at the time she was driving. Justice Lincoln Crowley allowed a further five weeks for the psychiatrist’s request but warned the matter could not keep “dragging on like this”. “There’s already been unacceptable delays to date,” he said. Ms Taufua will return to court on November 20 for her arraignment – meaning she will be required to enter pleas to her charges. Family members of the Zimmer family were again seated in the public gallery to watch the proceedings. In August, Mr Longhurst said his client’s family were attempting to obtain backups from the phone’s iCloud to hand over to the psychiatrist. “The factual basis advanced by the brief (of evidence) isn’t particularly complex, it really is a submission based on the psychiatric evidence,” he said on the last occasion.