Maddison Hickson murder trial hears Michael Carroll was growing paranoid before he was stabbed to death

A jury has heard how Michael Carroll was a “pretty scary type of man” who thought people were out to kill him before he was stabbed twice in the heart.

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Criminal Michael Carroll was paranoid he was being filmed, his phone was bugged and a contract was out on his life in the days before he was stabbed by his daughter, a jury has been told.

Maddison Hickson has pleaded not guilty to murdering her father in January last year, raising self defence in a NSW Supreme Court trial where she has admitted twice stabbing Mr Carroll, 51, inside a Tenambit home belonging to her friend, Taylah Renae McDonald.

Taylah Renae McDonald,

Ms McDonald has pleaded not guilty to being an accessory after the fact to murder and a back-up charge of hindering the discovery of evidence, denying the prosecution’s claims that she put the knife used in the stabbing in a dishwasher and later misled police.

A friend of Ms Hickson, Aaron Thorley, told the court on Wednesday that he had contacted the young woman on the day of Mr Carroll’s death following growing tensions between Mr Thorley, his father and Mr Carroll.

Mr Thorley said those tensions included threats of violence against the Thorley men amid what Aaron Thorley said was growing paranoia from Mr Carroll, a lifelong friend of his father and a criminal with a long history of violence.

On the day of Mr Carroll’s death, Mr Thorley and another man, Pat Daniels, arrived at the Tenambit house so Mr Thorley could speak to Ms Hickson about calming her father down after telling her earlier in the day he needed to speak to her, the court heard.

Michael John Carroll, 51, died after being stabbed twice in the heart. Picture: Supplied.

But Aaron Thorley said when he walked inside, he saw Mr Carroll sitting on a couch and felt “awkward”.

Mr Thorley told the court Mr Carroll started yelling at him, calling him a “p**f” who was trying to film him.

And he said when Ms Hickson berated her father, telling him to “get the f**k out”, Mr Thorley decided it was time to leave.

He agreed that he had heard Mr Carroll call his daughter a “slut” and a “dog” and yelled “get someone to make me get out” moments before Ms Hickson ran outside and past Mr Thorley and Mr Daniels.

Mr Carroll followed moments later with two stab wounds to the heart.

He would collapse on the front lawn and die.

Prosecutors claim Ms Hickson, who has admitted stabbing her father, was not acting in self defence but out of “anger or frustration” during the verbal argument which turned physical.

Maddison Hickson has pleaded not guilty to murdering her father. Picture: Facebook.

But barrister Peter Krisenthal, for Ms Hickson, told the court on Tuesday that it was his client‘s “honest belief” that she needed to defend herself from her father.

Aaron Thorley told the court he was frightened of Mr Carroll, who he called a “pretty scary type of man”, and was concerned the convicted criminal could hurt his father after Thorley senior refused to allow his old friend to move into his house.

Aaron Thorley said the refusal was met by aggression and threats from Mr Carroll, who left a message on Thorley junior’s phone which included: “Best be getting your f**king dad to start answering his f**king door or something is going to happen”.

Aaron Thorley also told the court that on the day before he died, Mr Carroll said from a neighbour’s property: “I wouldn’t really stab you because you are a mate, I would bash you with a bat.’’

Aaron Thorley said Mr Carroll had accused him of filming Mr Carroll for people who had a “hit” or contract out on him, that his phone was being bugged and that he was being followed.

The trial, before Justice Ian Harrison, continues.