'Neighbour from hell' run out of town before alleged murders

Locals who remember the family have described her as the 'neighbour from hell', and claim they were 'harassed' by Maree Crabtree (centre) , who caused 'havoc' in the area.

Residents have come forward detailing what it was like living next door to Maree Crabtree, the mother accused of murdering her children and creating havoc in their small community.

Locals from McCullys Gap, north of Sydney, described Maree as the "neighbour from hell" and claim they were "harassed" by the woman before she was run out of town.

Now Maree has been charged with the murders of her two impaired adult children - Erin, 18, and Jonathan, 26 - and the torture of another daughter, 25.

News of the Crabtrees' life in New South Wales comes as it is revealed Maree and Jonathan Crabtree partied on a Pacific islands cruise while Erin Crabtree lay dead or dying.

In September 2012 Maree took Jonathan on a cruise around the Pacific. Just three days later her daughter Erin was found dead after Jonathan asked a family friend to check on his sister.

Police claim Erin was either dead or dying of an overdose.

Five years later, Jonathan was found dead in their new family home near the Gold Coast after overdosing on medication.

Jonathan (pictured) died in 2017 after overdosing on prescription drugs.

Police alleged the mother of three forced prescription drugs on Erin and Jonathan, killing them both before disguising their deaths as suicides.

His death led homicide detectives to review Erin's case, which had remained open since 2012.

Mark Crabtree, the siblings' father, has since said he tried to have Jonathan put into care after Erin died.

Police claim Erin was either dead or dying of an oxycodone overdose when the family left her at their Gold Coast home.

Maree also is accused of successfully securing a fraudulent insurance payout of more than A$500,000.

Former neighbour Tony Witt said living next door to the Crabtrees was some of the hardest years of his life.

"They [Maree and Jonathan] would harass the hell out of you," Witt told the Sydney Morning Herald.

"The trouble they caused all over the place was phenomenal. They caused havoc, and it began from day one.

Jonathan would "walk up and down" the boundary of the property "pretending to fire a gun". He said one day "shots were fired over the roof" of his home.

"Everywhere she went there was trouble. Maree was the neighbour from hell."

Maree is also charged with the grievous bodily harm of another relative, and armed robbery over allegedly forcing Jonathan to hold up a chemist in 2015.

Detective Inspector Mark Thompson said the 25-year-old had been abused over several years and would require "ongoing care for some time".

He said police alleged the murders were pre-meditated and financially motivated.

"It was calculated, it was planned and it was executed with an end goal in mind."

Maree is in police custody and is set to return to court on February 12.