Wayne McClutchie accused of punching partner Noelene Beutel to death before dumping her in the boot of a car and setting her body alight in bushland at Tanawha, Sunshine Coast A SUNSHINE Coast mother told her sister she would leave her violent partner just days before she was punched to death, dumped in the boot of her car and her body torched in bushland, a court has heard. Wayne Edward Raymond McClutchie, 38, has pleaded not guilty in the Brisbane Supreme Court to murdering Noelene Beutel, 35, but guilty to moving her body into the boot of her car and setting it alight at Tanawha on June 29, 2011. Crown prosecutor David Meredith told the jury the couple had a violent relationship that bore a child, a little girl named Trinity, who was 21-months old when her mother was killed. Mr Meredith said the pair had a dispute at their Sippy Downs home the afternoon of her death. He accused McClutchie of hitting Ms Beutel in the head with such "extreme force" he later described it to police as a "10 out of 10" blow. Mr Meredith said the injury fractured both sides of Ms Beutel's skull and either killed her instantly, or caused her to suffocate as a result of internal bleeding. He said blood was found in the house and on a wheelie bin police suspected McClutchie used to "lever" his lover's body into the boot of her Holden Commodore. McClutchie, with the couple's daughter still in the back seat, drove the car to a spot off the Bruce Highway while his mate followed behind in another vehicle. McClutchie allegedly returned with a jerry can and told his mate "I f***ing killed her, bro, and I torched the car." Mr Meredith said Ms Beutel was admitted to Nambour Hospital in January, 2011 after "being used as a punching bag" following an argument with the accused but refused to make a complaint to police. He detailed how Ms Beutel had asked friends for help in the days and weeks leading up to her death, including accessing domestic violence support services to seek accommodation. The court heard Ms Beutel told friends McClutchie threatened to kill her and her daughter days before the fatal attack. The court was told she spent three nights at a hotel and at a friend's place before her death and returned home that afternoon only after taking a 10-minute phone call from the accused. She told her friend before she left: "Look, it's best for everyone if I go back." Just hours later, she was dead. Barrister Greg McGuire, for McClutchie, said his client's behaviour was "gross and unforgivable" and couldn't be excused, but he begged the jury to keep an open mind. He said the couple's relationship was volatile and the evidence would show they were both drug users with mental health issues. Mr McGuire said the couple were talking about rehab the day of Ms Beutel's death when she went to leave in order to score a hit. He said McClutchie acted in the "heat of the moment" and urged the jury not to let the "abhorrence" of his actions "overwhelm a calm, considered judgment of the evidence." The trial, before Justice Ann Lyons, continues.