Man accused of aiding mate’s murder plan not guilty

A man accused of helping a workmate carry out the murder of his estranged wife has been found not guilty by a jury.

Bradley Bell, of Pimpana, faced trial in Brisbane Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to the murder of Kelly Wilkinson, 27, on April 20, 2021.

The 29-year-old had been accused of murdering Wilkinson by aiding her estranged husband Brian Earl Johnston, 37, to carry out his plan to stab and set her on fire.

Bradley Bell, 25 from Pimpama, appeared in Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday.Credit: Facebook

Crown prosecutor David Nardone said Bell had been staying at a campsite with Johnston when he was woken at 3am and asked to be driven to Wilkinson’s home.

He said security cameras had captured Bell driving Johnston near Wilkinson’s home at 3.27am.

Johnston had taken a bag of tools, drugs and zip ties along with a fuel can, the jury heard.

“By knowing and expecting that Brian Johnston would kill his wife ... in driving him there and getting that petrol ... Bradley Bell too is guilty of the same offence committed by Brian Johnston,” Nardone said.

Gold Coast mother Kelly Wilkinson was found dead in her backyard.

He said Bell had admitted to police in July 2021 that he had helped Johnston in the lead-up to him attacking Wilkinson at Arundel on the Gold Coast.

Bell’s defence barrister Edwin Whitton told the jury Bell would testify in his own defence that he had lied to police during an 80-minute interview on July 20, 2021.

“He lied when he said he knew Brian Johnston intended to kill Kelly Wilkinson,” he said.

“He lied because he realised he had become involved in something terrible and he was scared.”

Whitton told the jury Bell “didn’t kill anyone”.

“Kelly Wilkinson was murdered by a man known as Brian Johnston. It was a brutal murder. I won’t say otherwise,” he said.

The jury later found Bell not guilty of murder and manslaughter.

The trial before Justice Michael Copley began on Monday.

AAP