Accused murderer Mark Rodney Jones told police Bradley Breward was ‘defiant to the end’

A man “obsessed” with finding his missing car waterboarded and suffocated the man he suspected of taking it, a jury has been told.

Bradley Breward, 22, is believed to have been killed on New Year’s Day 2017.

LAUNCESTON man Bradley Breward was waterboarded and suffocated with a plastic bag in his final moments, prosecutors allege, before his body was dumped in a lake by the man now charged with his murder.

The Supreme Court in Launceston on Monday heard accused killer Mark Rodney Jones had “become obsessed” with finding his missing Nissan Patrol in December 2016 and believed 22-year-old Mr Breward had stolen it.

Mr Jones, of West Launceston, is standing trial for Mr Breward’s murder, having pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors said Mr Breward was sleeping off a night of celebrations at a friend’s unit in the Launceston suburb of Newnham on New Year’s Day 2017, when Mr Jones entered, accompanied by another man, and began demanding to know where his 4WD was.

The court heard the men used tape to tie Mr Breward’s hands behind his back and his ankles together, before Mr Jones waterboarded the victim and used a plastic bag to suffocate him — interrogating him about the missing vehicle in between.

Director of Public Prosecutions Daryl Coates said Mr Breward died after Mr Jones used the plastic bag to suffocate him another time, even after Mr Breward said he was dying.

After an unsuccessful attempt to give Mr Breward CPR, Mr Jones and the man accompanying him put the body in a bean bag, wrapped it in tarpaulin and dumped the body at Lake Eugenana, near Devonport.

The court heard Mr Jones did not know Mr Breward but began to look for him after he discovered his 4WD was missing on December 12, having been placed by a roadside on Launceston’s outskirts and advertised for sale.

Mr Coates said Mr Jones was initially offering a $5000 reward for any information that could lead him to his vehicle and shared flyers on social media, with several people suggesting Mr Breward was responsible.

After failed attempts to find Mr Breward, the Crown said Mr Jones eventually paid the partner of one of Mr Breward’s friends $1000 to tip him off as to his whereabouts.

The woman, who was angry with Mr Breward because he had not repaid money she lent him, was the partner of the man in whose unit Mr Breward was sleeping the day he was killed, the court heard.

Mr Jones was interviewed by police twice about Mr Breward’s death after the body was found, and eventually admitted going to the Newnham unit and attacking Mr Breward.

Mr Coates said Mr Jones told police Mr Breward was “defiant to the end” and that he dumped his victim’s body and burned his clothes because he “didn’t want to get caught”.

Defence counsel Greg Richardson said while the facts of the case were largely not in dispute, the jury would have to carefully consider Mr Jones’ state of mind, intention and understanding at the time of the incident.

Mr Richardson said Mr Jones had gone to the unit to get his 4WD back, “which he’s not going to get if the man dies”.

“It never entered his head that the bloke was going to die,” Mr Richardson told the jury.

The trial, before Justice Robert Pearce, continues.