Kyam Broadby’s murder trial in Cairns Supreme Court hears a witness lied

Witnesses at Kyam Broadby’s murder trial have testified of a party growing rowdier and a fight escalating as day shifted into evening, and how the victim was “pursued into the darkness”.

A witness in Kyam Keith Broadby’s murder trial admitted lying to police in the first statement she made to officers after the alleged assault of Nathaniel Wailu on July 10, 2019.

Dekoda Freda Bell-Pickett testified that Mr Wailu had been swinging a hammer at a party at the showgrounds, “actioning as if he was going to hit (the defendant’s BMW)”.

“I just wanted it to all go away, I didn’t want it to happen any more, I was scared, I was worried,” she told the court.

She admitted she had lied to police to protect Riley Davis, one of the men involved in the altercation that broke out late in the evening, who was as close to her as a cousin.

She said she was afraid Mr Wailu, who had swung first a hammer, then a lump of wood and then a star picket, might come back and hurt her and others.

She testified that once the hammer was out of Nathaniel’s hand he picked up a piece of firewood and swung it within a metre of Darcy Hume, Mr Davis, and Mr Broadby.

Mr Broadby pleaded not guilty to murder at the start of his trial in the Cairns Supreme Court on Tuesday.

A further witness, who had been camping at the showgrounds, took the stand later in the afternoon.

Paul Cervanak testified that on July 10, 2019 he had been holidaying at Kerribee Park with his wife.

He heard a party near his caravan grow noisier and a fight escalate in the evening.

At one stage when the noise died down, he saw a solitary, shirtless man dancing around outside.

Nathaniel Wailu was pursued by three men on the evening he died, a court has heard. Picture: Facebook

“He was dark-skinned, I thought Aboriginal, reasonably tall, close to six foot,” he told the court.

“It was almost like he was in a some sort of ritual, in a trance state.”

Mr Cervanak told the court he watched the man for five minutes, then around 10 minutes later he heard more yelling and swearing from the party and he emerged from his caravan again.

He told the court he saw two other males there, “a shortish slim man with sandy brown hair, shoulder length at best”.

As the noise of the party ebbed and flowed he went in and out of the caravan, but he later witnessed more yelling and saw the dark-skinned man being chased by three others.

He told the court he saw the man “hit the ground, jump up frantically and regain his feet, and I saw the other three in pretty hot pursuit. They were running pretty hard, pretty urgent.”

He testified the only man in pursuit he recognised was the one he described as having sandy hair.

“They pursued him into the darkness, at least two of them,” he said.

The trial before Justice Susan Brown continues on Friday.

Originally published as Kyam Broadby’s murder trial in Cairns Supreme Court hears a witness lied