Bobby Medcraft murder trial day 3: Jury sees pics of body
Pictures of cuts and scrapes sustained to the hands of some of the five defendants accused of murdering Bobby Medcraft have been shown to the jury, as well as bloody clothing.
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Update 2pm: The jury in a trial of five Tasmanians accused of murdering South Burnie dad Bobby William Medcraft, 23, has been shown pictures of the defendants’ hands in the wake of the killing, some of which show bloodied knuckles and bandaged fingers.
Geoffrey James Deverell, 37, Kelsey Maree Ford, 24, her brother Lucas Shane Ford, 31, Michael William Hanlon, 54, and Cody Christopher Shane Sheehan, 33, have all pleaded not guilty to the charge.
On Wednesday afternoon, Senior Constable Caroline McGregor, formerly of the Western District forensic service, ran the jury through hundreds of photographs she took of the defendants and their clothing in the hours after their arrest.
The pictures showed Mr Deverell with a reasonably deep cut to his right thumb, Mr Ford with a bandaged right middle finger, underneath which was a gash, and Mr Hanlon with a series of scrapes and small cuts, mostly to his right knuckles but also on his left.
Snr Const McGregor told the court all defendants bar Ms Ford had “red brown staining” on some of their clothing items, with Mr Ford especially covered.
Mr Deverell had staining one of his shoes, Mr Ford on the moon boot he was wearing, his pants cuffs, his socks and hoodie jumper, Mr Hanlon on his singlet, and Mr Sheehan on his shorts.
Mr Sheehan’s defence counsel Greg Richardson told the jury on Tuesday Mr Ford and Mr Deverell were both stabbed, “probably with broken bottles”, during the final melee at 4 Ritchie Ave, Downlands, in the early hours of March 29, 2020.
Update 12pm: First-Class Constable Mark Johnstone from the Western District forensic service has told of photographing the lifeless body of alleged murder victim Bobby William Medcraft, 23, at North West Regional Hospital in Burnie.
Mr Medcraft died after receiving a blow to the back of his right leg with a sharp sword about 3.50am on March 29, 2020, the trial in Launceston Supreme Court of five Tasmanians accused of the crime previously heard.
Geoffrey James Deverell, 37, Kelsey Maree Ford, 24, her brother Lucas Shane Ford, 31, Michael William Hanlon, 54, and Cody Christopher Shane Sheehan, 33, have all pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Const Johnstone told the court he arrived at the hospital about 11.40am. Mr Medcraft had already died at this point.
“I was directed to a room in ED. The deceased was laying on a bed,” Const Johnstone said.
“He had a bandage around his head, two tourniquets around his right leg, a bandaged wound around his right leg and he was still attached to resuscitation paraphernalia.
“There were a number of fragments of clothing recovered from beside the bed from the doctors working on him.
“The were fragments of trousers, a t-shirt and underwear. The items had been placed in evidence bags.”
Earlier 10.30am: Daythree of the trial of five Tasmanians accused of murdering South Burnie dad Bobby William Medcraft, 23, is under way in Launceston Supreme Court.
Mr Medcraft died after being chopped to the back of his right leg with a sword in the early hours of March 29, 2020, outside a Ritchie Ave, Downlands address.
Geoffrey James Deverell, 37, Kelsey Maree Ford, 24, her brother Lucas Shane Ford, 31, Michael William Hanlon, 54, and Cody Christopher Shane Sheehan, 33, have all pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Senior Sergeant Mark Forteath, formerly of the Western District forensic service, is currently giving evidence.
He told the court of his process of fingerprinting the sword allegedly used to kill Mr Medcraft and drying “heavily bloodstained clothing” taken from the scene in order to forensically analyse it.
The “still wet” clothing – Snr Sgt Forteath arrived on-scene about 4.50am – needed to be dried before it could be sealed otherwise the DNA could degrade via mould contamination.
This story will be updated throughout the day.
Mr Forteath’s colleague, First-Class Constable Mark Johnstone, has told the court he collected a black sword and cricket bat from the vehicle driven by Ms Ford and her co-accused to the scene of Mr Medcraft’s death.
On Tuesday, the court heard the cricket bat was allegedly used by one of the co-accused to smash the rear window of a vehicle containing Mr Medcraft during a “car chase” through the suburbs of Burnie.
DAY 2 RECAP
The dispute between two groups of North West Tasmanians which would ultimately end in the death of South Burnie father Bobby William Medcraft, 23, began via social media, the trial of five people accused of his murder has heard.
Mr Medcraft died as a result of massive blood loss from a blow to the back of his right leg about 3.50am on March 29, 2020.
This blow was delivered with a sword, Crown prosecutor Jack Shapiro told the jury on Tuesday in his opening address at Launceston Supreme Court.
This blow “cut through his pants, cut through his skin, his flesh, cut completely through the hamstring, cut through the major nerve, severed both the major artery and the major vein in his leg, and chopped into cartilage at the back of his knee,” Mr Shapiro said.
Geoffrey James Deverell, 37, Kelsey Maree Ford, 24, her brother Lucas Shane Ford, 31, Michael William Hanlon, 54, and Cody Christopher Shane Sheehan, 33, have all pleaded not guilty.
Mr Shapiro said the Crown will allege Mr Sheehan delivered the blow to Mr Medcraft after Mr Ford, Mr Hanlon and Mr Sheehan previously bashed the deceased in a garden bed outside a property at Ritchie Ave, Downlands.
This property belonged to Mr Medcraft’s friend Kayden Morrisson.
Mr Medcraft, partner Kalinda (Mr Morrisson’s sister) and friend Jake MacDonald had fled to Mr Morrisson’s home after the defendants attended the deceased’s Cunningham Rd, South Burnie address seeking “revenge”, Mr Shapiro said.
The violent plot was in response to Mr Medcraft, Mr MacDonald, Mr Morrisson and a fourth friend attending the homes of Mr Ford and Ms Ford earlier in the night seeking confrontation as part of the spiralling social media feud, the Crown alleges.
The final melee at Ritchie Ave was preceded by a wild “car chase” between the two parties, Mr Shapiro said.
At one point during the chase, a passenger of the pursuing vehicle leaned out and used a cricket bat to smash the back windscreen of the car containing Mr Medcraft, he said.
Upon arrival at Ritchie Ave, the trailing vehicle driven by Ms Ford rammed the other car, which had pulled up, and disgorged the men, who attacked Mr Medcraft, the Crown will allege.
Mr Shapiro claimed Mr Deverell’s role in the attack was to restrain Mr MacDonald, while Ms Ford likewise restrained Kalinda, preventing them from helping the deceased.
In his rebuttal, Greg Richardson, representing Mr Sheehan, told the court Mr Medcraft and his friends had also armed themselves prior to the Ritchie Ave showdown.
He alleged they were in possession of a “very large knife” and a two-foot “Nordic battle axe”.
He also told the court Mr Morrisson, upon hearing the commotion outside, armed himself with two knives and joined in the fracas.
Mr Richardson said Mr Deverell and Mr Ford were both “stabbed” during the incident with what was “probably broken bottles”.
He also alleged Mr Medcraft had burgled Mr Ford’s residence earlier in the evening and threatened the defendants that he was associated with the Bandidos bikie gang. He said this showed his client was acting in self defence.
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