Plot to kill Pullen: "Thanks guys, sorry about the mess"

A PLOT to get rid of Mackay man Tim Pullen allegedly unfolded near the Gooseponds behind the North Mackay Bowls Club.

A PLOT to get rid of Mackay man Tim Pullen allegedly unfolded near the Gooseponds behind the North Mackay Bowls Club.

Sunshine Coast man Zane Tray Lincoln, 35, is accused of having his "boys" follow through on that plan in the early hours of the next morning after they had driven up from south-east Queensland.

Witnesses say Mr Lincoln, who is charged with murder, allegedly watched as his boys punched and then stabbed Mr Pullen during a "wrestle" at the North Mackay unit where he had been sleeping on his friend's couch.

Co-accused Nicholas Voorwinden and Kiera Jeannette McKay - who are charged with manslaughter - allegedly left the door of their Valley St flat open so Mr Lincoln could get in.

Mackay men Stephen Dale Renwick and Luke Shayne Kister are charged with accessory to murder after allegedly helping dump the body towards the Glenden and Collinsville areas.

A body has never been found.

Mr Lincoln - who is charged with Mr Pullen's murder on April 16, 2012 - was refused bail during an application in Brisbane Supreme Court this week.

Justice Peter Flanagan rejected the application amid fears Mr Lincoln, who has been convicted of influencing witnesses in NSW, would interfere with witnesses in the case.

Several witnesses, including co-accused, have expressed fears of retribution from Mr Lincoln for information they have given police.

The documents lodged in the court for the application reveal for the first time the police case surrounding the suspected murder.

People around Mackay say they knew Mr Lincoln as Mario, though Mr Lincoln denies that is his alias.

One of Mr Lincoln's friends, who met him in Ipswich in 2001 but had moved to Mackay, said the name came from when Mr Lincoln owned a pizza shop at One Mile called Mario's Pizza and Pasta.

Mr Voorwinden and Ms McKay have both given statements implicating Mr Lincoln.

But their statements cannot be used against him unless they are indemnified or their charges are finalised.

Ms McKay has revealed she was in a relationship with Mr Lincoln in early 2012.

Mr Lincoln - who had been staying in Mackay doing asbestos removal work - is a married man with five children who was living on a property in Mooloolah Valley.

He has his own tipper truck business.

Mr Voorwinden and Ms McKay - both drug users - were in a relationship when Mr Pullen disappeared.

He said McKay convinced him to meet with Mr Lincoln behind the bowls club to talk about Mr Pullen being untrustworthy.

"I remember he said that Tim was 'scum' and that he'll 'rip you off'," he said.

"During this conversation Mario told me that Tim had a $30,000 bounty on his head.

"Mario said that if Pullen was handed over to the bikies to work off a debt he owes, the person handing him over will get $30,000.

"When Mario said this I joked and said 'for $30,000 I'll even roll him up in a carpet'.

"At some point Mario mentioned that he needed a little time because he had to get his 'boys up from Brisbane'.

"Mario also said to me 'I need you to leave a door open'."

Mr Voorwinden told police he got cold feet and tried to lock the door but Ms McKay unlocked it again.

"I had my bedroom door closed and I was inside sh***ting myself that they might come up and get me as well," he told police.

"Kiera appeared happy and 'big eyed' and I was concerned because it seemed to me that she liked what she saw and what happened to Tim.

"It was like she was getting off on it.

"I could hear the fighting, then I could hear Tim's voice start to gargle."

Timothy Pullen.

"Looking at Nick's face it was like he was evil," she said.

"It was like he was enjoying what was going on."

They both told police Mr Lincoln said to them "thanks guys, sorry about the mess" before he left.

"There was heaps of blood in the lounge room," Mr Voorwinden said.

"It was all over the floor, walls and furniture. I used bleach..."

They told police they had lied in their initial police statements because they were scared of Mr Lincoln.

McKay described Mario as: bald, Maori, olive skin, built, baby face.

"I know what him and his boys are capable of," she said.

"I am scared that I will end up in a body bag if Mario knew that I was talking to the police."

Mr Voorwinden and Ms McKay indicate they suspected violence, and were happy for Mr Pullen to be taken away, but did not believe he would be killed.

They say they again met Mr Lincoln behind the North Mackay Bowls Club the day after the alleged murder.

Mr Lincoln allegedly told them Mr Pullen would not be returning to Mackay and his boys would be "doing ride bys past the unit" to ensure no one was talking to the police.

Mr Voorwinden and Ms McKay say Mr Lincoln asked if they had properly cleaned the unit and destroyed any evidence.

While Mr Lincoln's defence team this week argued the case was weak, the Crown argued the brief with voluminous with more than 300 witness statements.

THE NEIGHBOUR

A 23-year-old Valley St neighbour heard a racket and went out to inspect.

"It was just like a wrestle going on," he told police.

"I could then see the big bald bloke had someone and he was pushing them into the back seat on the passenger side.

"The bald bloke then got into the Navara behind the person he had pushed in and closed the door."

Police say this neighbour described Mr Lincoln pushing someone into the car.

THE BLOOD

POLICE examined the Valley St unit and ascertained bleach was used to clean areas where blood has splattered or pooled.

Timothy Pullen’s Mackay North State High School class of 1994 photo. . Picture: CONTRIBUTED

Blood samples from the ute and the unit were a match for Mr Pullen.

Mr Voorwinden told police he used towels to clean up the blood in his unit and then dumped them in the Pioneer River at Cremorne.

He also said he used a ute to dump his couch, where Mr Pullen had been sleeping while living with him, because he could not get the blood stain out.

It was dumped at a truck stop on the way to Mirani and set alight using methylated spirits as fuel.

Ms McKay said other evidence was dumped in the Dumbleton Weir.

TIMMY

THERE has been no activity on Timothy Pullen's phone, bank or social media accounts since April 16, 2012.

He had not seen his family since April 13, 2012.

Mr Pullen was on bail for trafficking at the time of his suspected murder.

Multiple witnesses have spoken about him owing tens of thousands of dollars in drug debts.

Witnesses say Mr Lincoln and Mr Pullen had a physical fight in December 2010-11 over a $30,000 drug debt.

"I'm not sure of exactly how much or who to, but it was in the tens of thousands," Mr Voorwinden said of the debt.

"Tim knew that people were chasing him for the money but he didn't seem phased by it."

"I know Timmy was having lots of money trouble. He was always trying to meet new people, as in new dealers so he could make money to pay off his debt to old dealers he owed money to," another witness said.

LINCOLN

Mr Lincoln has five children aged nine to 15. They live on 5.6 hectares along Neill Rd at Mooloolah Valley.

His wife Melissa Lincoln, 35, is a teacher on the Sunshine Coast and promised to do everything she could to ensure her husband met bail conditions if released.

"I and the children have been greatly affected by these matters," she said in a document lodged for her husband's bail application.

"My teenager girls very much miss their father and this has affected their school attendance.

"I have also had to deal with the strain of providing for all five of my children on only one income, together with strenuous work associated with the maintenance of 14 acres of land."

Crimestoppers.

INTELLIGENCE

The police operation to investigate Mr Pullen's death was named Kilo Lawman.

The first police bail document prepared upon Mr Lincoln's arrest in July, 2012, details police intelligence reports stating Mr Lincoln's alleged links to outlaw motorcycle gangs.

Police say they confirmed through probation and parole authorities on July 15, 2012, that Mr Lincoln was a Bandidos associate.

Other intelligence alleged he was a "well-connected criminal involved heavily in the illegal drug scene".

"Information provided to investigators revealed that Lincoln had been attempting to source information on the investigation from witnesses already spoken to by police in an obvious attempt to see if anyone has talked," it read.

"Lincoln has minimal criminal history however police intelligence states that due to his stand over tactics and the fear he instils in his associates in relation to the trafficking of dangerous drugs, other people take the wrap for offences he commits due to fear of retribution."

RECANTED TESTIMONY

A drug user, now 29, described herself as "pretty good friends" with Mr Pullen who she had known for eight or nine months before he died.

The woman, who grew up in Tannum Sands, told authorities she was using cocaine, ecstasy, amphetamines, ice and marijuana at the time.

She alleged her and her husband bought "a quarter of a pound of speed" from Mr Lincoln every two weeks for $65,000 after he asked them to sell drugs for him.

Her husband was on remand for drug offences and she had sent her son away to live with her family when she made the statement.

The woman - who has since recanted the testimony she gave during Crime and Misconduct Commission hearings - says she was present when Mario allegedly came for Mr Pullen.

Mr Lincoln's defence say this means the testimony could not be used against him but the court heard this week the woman could still be called to give evidence.

The woman said she once received threats against her and her son's lives when $7000 cash she gave someone did not reach .

She told authorities that she heard Mario talking to Mr Voorwinden about Mr Pullen.

"I remember Nick saying to Mario 'come round to my house, I'll make sure Tim is there then'," she said.

The woman said she sold drugs all night and then went to the Voorwinden-McKay unit where she smoked ice with Mr Pullen.

She said four men came in quickly, one punched Mr Pullen and then the others tried to get him out the front door while hitting him.

"Mario was standing right behind them," she said.

The woman said she then saw one man "pull a blade of some sort from Timmy's chest".

She said Mr Pullen's yelling began to sound like he "was gargling water".

THE FRIEND

A friend of Mr Lincoln told he had heard Mr Lincoln introduce himself as Mario to other people.

The long-time friend told police he saw Mr Lincoln pull up in a Nissan Navara at his house around the time Mr Pullen went missing and then saw another vehicle arrive with a stack of white towels.

He said Mr Lincoln told him Tim Pullen owed him and Lawford Edwards, then owner of The Code Nightclub, money and that Mr Edwards was linked to the Odins outlaw bikie gang.

"He said 'Tim has constantly been smart to them (as in the bike club). I told Tim to settle his debt and make arrangements with them. Tim refused to do so, the club approached me, wanting to take Tim."

Eton Range, Peak Downs Hwy. Picture: Tony Martin

NEAR MISS

POLICE had actually pulled over the two men accused of dumping Tim Pullen's body on what was allegedly their return journey.

Eton officers intercepted Stephen Dale Renwick and Luke Shayne Kister travelling along the Peak Downs Highway, about 32km from Mackay, about 10am on April 17, 2012.

Police did not notice anything suspicious at the time.

Documents lodged at the Brisbane Supreme Court for murder accused Zane Tray Lincoln's bail hearing allege "Renwick and Kister transported the deceased's body somewhere towards the Glenden and Collinsville areas and disposed of the body" on April 16 and 17.

The men were in a Nissan Navara, which was registered to Mr Kister.

Witnesses allegedly placed the vehicle at the North Mackay unit block where Mr Pullen had been staying until the morning before.

Police found Mr Pullen's blood in the rear compartment seat.

Both men were working at The Code Nightclub in Mackay - which the Tryst Bar &

Nightclub has since replaced.

Renwick's partner Bianca Laguda, 27, told police that Renwick came home later than usual from the nightclub and what unfolded afterwards was "a bit weird".

Mackay Court House. Picture: Peter Holt

She said her partner and Mr Kister suddenly left on an overnight trip and did not return until April 17 after they had taken the Nissan Navara to a car wash.

"It all started with Stephen not being home after work when he should have been," she said.

"I sent him a few text messages and I might have tried to ring him as well to see where he was."

Ms Laguda told police she was dozing and then woke to sound of her car pulling into the front yard.

She said she "saw a group of men all fairly big in size", of similar build to Mr Renwick, standing near her car.

"I have never seen any of these guys before or since that day," she said.

Ms Laguda said she Mr Renwick and Mr Kister took off that night and she assumed they would be a couple of hours at most.

She said she got angry and there was a series of text messages until Mr Renwick said "stop texting me, I don't want to leave a trail".

THE FACTS:

• Zane Tray Lincoln, 35, born December 31, 1978, charged with murder.
• Nicholas Voorwinden, 32, born April 12, 1982, charged with manslaughter.
• Kiera Jeannette McKay, 27, born April 1, 1987, charged with manslaughter.
• Stephen Dale Renwick, 39, born July 29, 1975, charged with accessory after the fact to murder
• Luke Shayne Kister, 23, September, 21, 1990, charged with accessory after the fact to murder

Originally published as Plot to kill Pullen: "Thanks guys, sorry about the mess"