Witness speaks about alleged murder of Selma Ibrahim at Crestmead

A key witness who told police he had seen a group of African men yelling in the front yard of an alleged murder victim’s home has clarified his version of events in court.

Crestmead Murder victim Selma Adem Ibrahim

A key witness who told police he had seen a group of African men yelling in the front yard of an alleged murder victim’s home on the night of her death has told a jury that’s what someone else had seen, not him.

Nilisi “Nick” Kaniki, 30, is on trial at Brisbane Supreme Court this week accused of murdering his pregnant partner Selma Ibrahim at her Crestmead home on or about the evening of September 24, 2019.

Neighbour Vincent Forbes accepted in front of the jury on Thursday that he had originally told police he had seen four or five men yelling outside Ms Ibrahim’s home on Waratah Drive while he was walking past with his brother around 11.30pm that night. But under cross examination he clarified: “I didn’t see the arguing personally … my brother seen them”.

His brother Harley also gave evidence to say he had seen a group of men walking slowly along Waratah Drive on the evening of September 24, but that he didn’t remember them at any house in particular or “having a bit of a barney” with anyone.

He acknowledged that he didn’t have a good memory of the night.

Witness Amanda Chandler told the jury she had supplied marijuana to Ms Ibrahim on September 23, 2019, and that Ms Ibrahim had asked her to stop by again on the 24th.

She said she had driven to Ms Ibrahim’s house with “a stick” that evening but then left after about five minutes when Ms Ibrahim didn’t come out.

Ms Chandler said she didn’t hear anything that made her think there was anything wrong.

Defence barrister Jacob Robson asked Ms Chandler if she had gotten into a fight with Ms Ibrahim over drug payments, and she denied this.

“What do you say to the idea that you assaulted Selma at some stage that afternoon,” Mr Robson asked. “I don’t assault people,” Ms Chandler replied.

Crestmead Murder victim Selma Adem Ibrahim

The jury also heard evidence from Ms Ibrahim’s friend Evelyn Mullineux, who had also supplied Ms Ibrahim marijuana at times.

Ms Mullineux’s police statement was dictated to the jury, as she had since passed away.

In the statement, she said Ms Ibrahim was “like a daughter” to her and that she had last seen her when she dropped her at the shops on the morning of September 24.

She said Ms Ibrahim had been uninjured and didn’t seem anxious, that it “just seemed like any other day”. Ms Mullineux had also told police she had received a text from Kaniki the following morning saying “bro if anyone asks I was with you last night”.

“I didn’t think anything of it … It wasn’t until the afternoon when I saw the news.”

Earlier in the day’s proceedings, a woman who had lived next door to Ms Ibrahim told the jury she had seen a dark-skinned man she didn’t recognise walking down the street with a bandana on the morning of September 24, and that he “looked really sus”.

She described Ms Ibrahim as being “in pixie land” at times and said she had seen her waving her arms and talking as she walked down the street sometimes, despite not having any earbuds in. Another neighbour said she had seen Ms Ibrahim sitting in her yard on the afternoon of September 24, and that she hadn’t noticed any injuries at that time.

“She seemed quite worried – like she was thinking about something,” the neighbour described.

A tradesman who had come to the house to fix a window that afternoon also described Ms Ibrahim as being uninjured, and said he would have taken action if he had noticed any injuries.

The trial is expected to continue for the rest of the week.