Dannielle Finlay-Jones’ murder probed at coronial inquest

The friends and loved ones of Dannielle Finlay-Jones, who was murdered at the hands of her new partner, are set to learn more answers about the teacher’s death at a coronial inquest.

Ms Finlay-Jones was found dead inside a friend’s home in Cranebrook in Sydney’s northwest in December 2022.

Three-and-a-half years after her life was taken, a coronial inquest on Monday began to examine the circumstances of her death.

Ashley Gaddie, 33, killed Ms Finlay-Jones on the morning of December 18, 2022, according to the available evidence, the inquest was told.

The pair, who had met on Bumble, had spent the previous night together after Ms Finlay-Jones brought Gaddie along to a Christmas party with her friends – the first time her friends had met Gaddie.

After the event, in which Gaddie drank about 15 beers and took prescription Valium, the pair went back to a friend’s home where they stayed the night, the inquest was told.

During the night, her friend and her partner heard noises that they believed were being made during sex.

The following morning, her friends found Ms Finlay-Jones in the spare bedroom and performed CPR; however, she died.

Police said Ms Finlay-Jones sustained heavy bruising to her face and a bloody nose, and post-mortem results indicated the 31-year-old was strangled.

Gaddie was later arrested for her murder following a 12-hour stand-off with police in the NSW Blue Mountains.

Gaddie was later found dead in his jail cell where he had been held on remand since his arrest.

The inquest was told while “some evidence” could be consistent with Gaddie finding Ms- Finlay Jones, rather than him hurting her, there was no credible evidence that anyone other than Gaddie had contact with her after her friends closed the door to the spare bedroom and when she was found deceased.

Gaddie had a history of domestic violence, with previous convictions of domestic violence offences, as well as apprehended violence orders taken out against him by five different women.

The inquest was told that at the time of her death, Ms Finlay-Jones had received a distinction in her graduate certificate in education and had accepted a full-time position as a special needs teacher’s aide.