‘This bloke tried to kidnap and rape you, now you’re offering him a lift?’ Prosecutor rejects Maslin Beach gunman’s self-defence claim
The alleged murderer who shot Robert Sabeckis at Maslin Beach claims he had no choice in a life-or-death struggle – but his trial was told that doesn’t explain why the dead man’s underpants were pulled down.
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Robert Sabeckis’ killer has “cobbled together” the story of a life-or-death struggle to explain why he shot his victim in the back and pulled down his underpants, a court has heard.
On Tuesday, prosecutors cross-examined Paul Beveridge Maroroa in his ongoing Supreme Court trial over the January 2000 fatality.
Sandi McDonald SC asked Maroroa to explain why Mr Sabeckis’ body was found with his underpants around his ankles if the men had been grappling over a gun.
Maroroa said that occurred after he had been forced to shoot Mr Sabeckis.
“I can only tell you what happened ... he fell down, as he got up he was in a shuffle, moving sideways like he was trying to step out of something,” he said.
Ms McDonald suggested that was untrue.
“Are you trying to tell the jury that this man who was shot twice, once fatally, was trying to step out of his own underpants?” she asked.
Maroroa replied: “I can only tell you what I saw.”
Maroroa, 44, of Auckland in New Zealand, has admitted shooting but denied murdering Mr Sabeckis with a sawn-off shotgun on January 13, 2000.
Prosecutors have alleged he “hunted down” and “gunned down” his victim, then further “humiliated” him by striking him with the weapon and pulling down his underpants.
Maroroa, however, says he was delivering the gun to Mr Sabeckis on the orders of drug dealers, only to be attacked himself.
He says he fired the shotgun in self-defence because Mr Sabeckis intended to rape and then murder him.
Maroroa also claimed that, after shooting Mr Sabeckis the first time, he asked him “have you been shot?” and offered to drive him to a hospital.
He claimed that, instead of accepting the offer, Mr Sabeckis resumed his attack – resulting in the second, fatal shot.
On Tuesday, Ms McDonald said those claims were difficult to accept.
“What you’ve described was, from your perspective, a terrifying ordeal,” she said.
“You’ve been forced to deliver a gun, you’ve been threatened with rape and kidnapping, and you’ve had a man point a shotgun with you.
“You say your response was to ask ‘have you been shot’, but weren’t you terrified of this man? Didn’t you just want to get out of there?
“This bloke had tried to kidnap you, tried to rape you, and you’re offering him a lift?”
Maroroa replied: “Things had changed.”
Ms McDonald said she did not accept that, nor Maroroa’s claims that the men spun around, crouched and “rag dolled” one another during their supposed brawl.
“You have cobbled together this scenario to explain why you shot this man from behind,” she said.
The trial, before Justice Sam Doyle and a jury, continues.