Gable Tostee’s mobile phone recording was central to case
ON THE night of Warriena Wright’s death, Gable Tostee — who a jury has acquitted of all charges — made a recording on his mobile phone now described as the key to the entire case. LISTEN AND READ TRANSCRIPT
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ON THE night of Warriena Wright’s death, Gable Tostee — who a jury has acquitted of all charges — made a three-hour recording on his mobile phone. It is a compelling piece of evidence which was described during the trial as the key to the entire case
THAT NIGHT
1:02am: Tostee: “Come here, chill and have a drink. I poured that for you.”
Tostee says that everything on him is good looking. Wright replies “I am psycho drunk” and tells him “not to test her”.
1:03.30am: Tostee: “Shut up or I will make you come again.”
Wright: “Shut up or I will beat you up. You look like Sam.”
1:05.30am: Tostee: “Do you want to come to my work tomorrow?”
Wright: “Do you want to come to my family tomorrow?”
Tostee: “You can help me lay carpet.”
Wright: “You can help me tell my mum I am not a loser ...”
1:07am: Wright: “I know you want to kill me because you told me so.” Reference to dying from smoking.
1:08am: Conversation about religion and gods.
1:09am: Tostee says he “doesn’t think there is anything after death”. “Throw me off the balcony and that is it. This is it, boom.”
1:10am: Tostee asks if Wright agrees that food and sex are the best things in the world?
Wright: “Don’t you think… What’s the word you call it? Justice.”
Tostee: “Justice?”
Wright: “Justice.”
Tostee: “Like, bam I sentence you to kiss my ass?”
1:12am: Tostee: “Don’t touch them. You love them rocks.”
Wright: “Are you a god?”
Tostee replies that yes he is. He is Zeus. He tells her to relax.
1:13am: Wright says she is talking about gods. Tostee says there are no gods. She again calls him Zeus.
1:14am: Wright says she is going to go vampire on his ass.
1:15am: Wright: “You are dead and I hate you.”
1:16am: Tostee: “Don’t hurt me, I am defenceless.”
1:19.30am: After minutes of laughing and hitting in the background, Tostee is heard to say “Ow”.
1:26.30am: Tostee: “I should walk you home.”
1:27am: Tostee: “Stop that.”
Wright: “Oh my god you are like a Christian.”
Inaudible conversations.
1:28.30am: Wright: “Don’t be a (expletive) to me.”
Inaudible conversation.
Tostee: “I don’t want to, like, have to muscle you.”
1:29.30am: Tostee: “Just relax.” Inaudible conversation. “I don’t like getting beaten up.” Inaudible conversation.
1:31am: Tostee: “Just be nice.” Inaudible conversation. Conversation is calm.
1:33.30: Tostee: “Come here.”
Wright: “Have a good night.”
Tostee: “Do you want me to walk you back home.”
Ruffling sounds and Wright is heard to say “have a good night”.
Tostee: “No (inaudible) I’ll take care of you in the morning.”
1:35.30am: Music stops.
HEATED ROW
1.36am: Wright: “Where is my sister’s (expletive). Where is all my (expletive) data? Where is my iPhone?”
Tostee: “Do you want me to ring it?”
Wright: “Yes, I would love you to (expletive) ring it.”
1:36.30am: Tostee: “There is a ton of your stuff here. Hey I didn’t say you have to leave. I said that you have to stop beating me up.”
Heated conversation.
Wright: “Get it for me.”
Tostee: “No, you get it.”
Wright: “I am going to call the police.”
1:37.30am: Wright repeats she is going to call the police.
1:38.30am: Wright: “I am going to call the police.”
Tostee: “What are you looking for? Where is my money. How are you going to call the police without your phone?”
Wright: “You stole my (expletive) phone.”
Tostee: “I should have never given you so much to drink. I thought that we were going to have fun?”
1:39am: Tostee: “I don’t deserve this (expletive), OK. I am a nice (expletive) guy.” Sound of a beep (phone).
1:39.30am: Tostee: “Your phone must be out of battery” ... “it must be out on the balcony.”
Tostee: “Please calm down, please. You have had too much to drink. I had (expletive) loads of money.”
Wright states that she “(expletive) rules in New Zealand” but she gets taken advantage of. “It is not (expletive) funny.”
1:40am: Tostee: “Do you even remember what you were doing to me half an hour ago?
“You were beating me up for no reason.”
Wright: “Exactly.”
Tostee: “You thought it was funny or something. Why were you beating me up?”
Wright: “I am gone. I will be out of your hair, see you later. I am going.” Then produces the phone.
Wright: “See you later.”
Tostee: “You are such a drama queen.”
1:40.10am: Tostee calls Wright, conversation lasts six seconds.
1:41am: Tostee asks if “we can sit down and discuss this”. He asks Wright to stay the night and says he is the most tolerant person she would meet, adding “but you are just a bit violent”. Tostee offers to cook something and asks if she wants something to eat.
1:45am: Tostee asks how long Wright is living on the Gold Coast. Wright: “Geez, God didn’t want me here for long, he has kicked me out already.”
1:45.30am: Wright says “Myjambu did not say anything.” Tostee asks if it is a Maori god. Calm conversation.
1:48am: Wright asks if she can go to the window and have a look. Tostee: “Don’t jump off or anything.”
Wright: “No.” Further inaudible conversation.
1:49am: Tostee says people with white coats are going to come in and states that she would jump off the balcony. He says he is flattered his vodka has had this effect on her.
1:49.30am: Tostee: “Just come here, I just want to cuddle you.” Door shuts. Possibility that Wright is in the toilet.
1:51am: Tostee whispers into the recording device: “God help me, (expletive).”
1:52.30am: Wright calls Tostee a social demon.
1:53am: Tostee asks if Wright got the photos he sent her. “Our balcony photos. You are so much more drunker than me. I need to catch up.”
1:53.30am: Ruffling sounds. Drink poured.
Tostee: “That is like vodka on the rocks. That is yours.”
1:56.30am: Wright: “That is horrible. I am going to leave that there.”
1:57am: Tostee says his mum is in Adelaide because his Pa died of cancer. Conversation about Tostee finding out about his pop dying. He says he doesn’t think he has been so sad before.
2:02.30am: Wright: “UK men are funnier and have bigger (expletive).”
Tostee: “Not bigger than mine.” Tostee asks if his is the “biggest”.
2:03.30am: Tostee: “Hey hey hey, no violence.” Then laughs and says “What are you doing Cletus?” and “enjoy that”.
Wright: “Cheers.”
2:05.30am: Tostee tells Wright to “chill out”.
Tostee asks Wright to promise that she will not beat him up. Asks her to sleep next to him.
2:09am: Tostee states that if she “was going to go all kung fu on me then I will kick your (expletive)”. Calm conversation.
2:11am: Sound of a struggle and ruffling sounds. Wright: “That really hurt my vagina.” More struggling and male laughing, to which Wright replies “You sound like a (expletive)”.
2:12am: Tostee states she is insane. Sounds of background clicking. Tostee: “They are not real, they are only fake.”
2:12.30am: Tostee: “Who is Sam?” Says “ow” again, before “I’ll bow down to Sam. I will do what you want. I will be your sex slave (possibly having rocks thrown)”.
THE FATAL PLUNGE
2:15am: Tostee: “I think you are kidding but you are not. Go on right now. I do need a sample of DNA.”
2:15.30am: Tostee: “I thought you were kidding and I have taken enough. This is (expletive) (expletive) ... you are lucky I haven’t chucked you off my balcony you god damn psycho little (expletive). Who the (expletive) do you think you ... Yeah, do your Muay Thai now.”
2:16am: Tostee: “What. What ... got something to say, say it.” Wright breathing heavily.
Wright: “(Unintelligible)
sexist.”
Tostee: “Yeah right. I am the one who is injured. You don’t have a god damn scratch on you.”
2:16.30am: Tostee: “I thought that you were just playing around but I am (expletive) sick of this (expletive). You’re a god damn psycho. I am going to let you go. I am going to walk you out of this apartment just the way you are. You are not going to collect any of your belongings, you are just going to walk out and I am going to slam the door on you, do you understand? If you try and pull anything, I’ll knock you out, I’ll knock you the (expletive) out. Do you understand? Do you understand? Do you understand?”
2:17.30am: Tostee:“Cmon, get up. Get up.”
Wright: “I am so sorry.”
Tostee: “I don’t care.”
Struggling.
Tostee: “You don’t understand do you. You don’t understand anything at all do you.”
Struggle.
Tostee: “Let go. You think that you hit me and I was going to fall down like in the movies.” More laboured breathing sounds.
Tostee: “Let go of it. Let go. Let go.” More choking sounds.
2:18am: Choking sounds.
2:18.30am: Laboured breathing sounds. Breathing slows. Tostee: “Let it go.”
2:19.30am: Sound of something metallic dropping.
2:20am: Sound consistent with door unlocking. Wright: “No.” Possible sound of glass door being hit.
2:21am: Wright:“Just let me go home. Just let me go home.” Last words of “just let me go home”. Tostee breathing heavily. Faint scream detected.
2:21.30am: Very heavy breathing from Tostee.
2:21.50am: Tostee makes call to lawyer Michael Purcell. Call made from handset. “(Expletive).” Call not connected.
2:22am: Tostee: “Where the (expletive) are my keys?”
2:23am: Tostee: “Expletive, expletive, expletive.”
2:23.30am: Tostee:“Oh my god.” Sound of getting dressed, pulling jeans up.
2:26am: Sound of sirens in the background.
2:26.30am: Sound of elevator button.
2:28.30am: Walking noises. Footsteps.
2:39.30am: Walking stops.
2:42am:Makes a phone call.
Walking starts again.
2:47am: Tostee calls Michael Purcell.
2:49am: Tostee takes screenshot of phone with images of Wright. Makes call to Wright.
3:10.30am: Tostee: “Um, a piece of supreme please.”
3:11.30am: Paper rustling (eating pizza).
THE PHONE CALL
3:23am: Tostee makes a phone call. “Hello Dad. I might have a bit of a situation. See, um, I met up with a girl for a date tonight and she started getting really aggressive. It was all right at first and like we, you know, had sex in bed and she kept drinking. We were both drinking and I think that she thought that it was like a joke or something and she kept like beating me up and whatever. It was because she was really drunk and whatever and I like forced her out on the balcony and I think that she might have jumped off.”
Father: “Oh no.”
3:23.30am: Tostee: “Like, I have been walking around and there are a million cops around my building. I’m (expletive). I don’t know what to do.”
Father: “Where are you? At your unit?”
Tostee: “I didn’t cause this, like I didn’t push her. There are a million cops in the area.”
Father: “I’ll come and get you OK?”
Tostee: “It is really (expletive) up. I am like at Domino’s. Dad, like this is not my fault.”
3:25am: Call continues. Tostee:“I don’t know, like I tackled her on my floor inside the building and I never forced her over the balcony.”
Father: “I am sure you wouldn’t, mate.”
Tostee: “I don’t know what the (expletive) happened, it is crazy. I swear to God I didn’t push her, I just chucked her out on the balcony and locked the door because she was beating me up.”
Father: “I’ll come over now, OK?”
3:29am: Call continues. Tostee: “Hang on a sec. What the (expletive). What the (expletive) is this ... you know how I said there was something in my pocket. Well it is her phone in my pocket.”
Father: “Is it her phone?”
Tostee: “It is her phone, yeah ... Dad like what happened was we were drinking and we got into bed together then and after that she just kept drinking and she just kept like, I don’t know, she was just like beating me up. She thought it was funny or something and I was just like tackled her in the middle of my apartment and I said that it wasn’t funny anymore and blah blah blah.
Then when I let her go the last thing I remember was she was on the balcony and I don’t know if she jumped or what, I don’t know. It wasn’t my fault, it wasn’t my god damn fault.”
3:46.30am: Call made and connected. Tostee: “Hey Dad, are you nearby. I am seriously freezing.”
Father: “Not far away at all.”
Tostee: “Can you stay on the line?”
Father: “Yep.”
3:47.30am: Sound of car door opening and seatbelt being placed on.
3:48am: Father: “We need to ring (lawyer) Bill Potts.”
Tostee: “I didn’t do anything.”
Father: “I understand. Um, the only thing we can do is ring Bill Potts up now. You can’t do anything else but that but you need to do it straight away really. Can you find his number?”
3:48.30am: Tostee: “I wish that I had cameras in my unit. I have audio. I tried calling her phone.”
Father: “Don’t call her phone.”
3:49am: Call is made to Wright’s phone and goes to message bank.
Father: “What are you doing, why did you do that?”
Tostee: “I don’t know.”
3:50am: Call to Wright.
3:51am: Tostee: “Why does this (expletive) always happen to me. I didn’t ask for this. I wasn’t doing anything wrong, I just invited the girl over. The more she drank ...”
Father: “Was she jealous or something?”
Tostee: “Me and her had sex and it was like the more that she drank she just got violent for some reason.”
Father: “Did she want a more serious relationship or something?”
Tostee: “No, she was like I know Muay Thai blah blah blah and I’ll beat you up for fun rah rah rah and I was like tolerating it for a bit and went ‘yeah stop that’. Last thing that I remember was that I tried holding her down and she ran out on to my balcony. I hope I just imagined it.”
3:51.30am: Call to Wright.
3:52am: Tostee: “I might have locked her out on my balcony because there is like a lock. I can’t remember what I did but I absolutely did not throw her off my balcony. I would never do anything like that.”
3:52.30am: Father: “We need to ring up Potts.”
Tostee: “I don’t ask for this (expletive). Why does this (expletive) happen to me?”
3:54am: Tostee calls a number. Father: “Did it get through? (to Potts)”
Tostee: “I don’t know if I dialled the right number. Where are we going?”
Father: “Just heading to my place.”
Tostee: “The last thing I did was hurt a girl. (Calls Wright’s phone). Last thing I remember, she kept hitting me. She must’ve thought it was funny and I just tackled her to the ground inside my apartment.
Father: “Give Potts’ number a call again Gable, it’s important.”
Tostee: “I don’t wanna. What if she’s dead? What if she jumped?”
Father: “Don’t worry, there’s nothing you can do about that.”
Tostee: (message left on lawyer’s phone) “I need you to call me back urgently please.” Tostee: “Where are we going?”
Father: “I’m just going to do a u-ey up here.”
Tostee: “If you want to park anywhere, just go where there’s houses. Just park in front of a house, there’s cameras at servos. If anything’s wrong, it would show up in the news wouldn’t it? I do have photos of me and her, like selfies. I don’t think I have any proof of her being aggressive or anything like that.”
Father: “No, well when the truth comes out ... You had no motive for you to hurt her.”
Tostee: “I can log into my computer remotely.”
Father: “Why would you want to do that?”
Tostee: “Well, I put photos of me and her on there. She like drank more and more and got violent. Last thing I remember was holding her down in my apartment, then she kind of ran out the door.”
4:10am: Tostee: “Just park like next to a house or something.”
Father: “How about Q shopping centre?”
Tostee: “No because they’ll be doing patrols.”