Bobby Medcraft murder trial day 7: Kayden Morrisson takes stand
Another witness has taken the stand in the murder trial of Bobby Medcraft. Kayden Morrisson, outside whose house the final fight occurred, has told court of an outlaw motorcycle gang link.
Police & Courts
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One of the witnesses to a night of drunken threats and fighting between two groups of people which ended in the death of a young Burnie dad has said under cross-examination he, the deceased and another friend were all associated with the Bandidos motorcycle gang.
Kayden Morrisson, 22, was at his 4 Ritchie Ave, Downlands, home about 3.45am on March 29, 2020, when his friend Bobby William Medcraft, 23, and two others arrived in a car being chased by another vehicle containing the five defendants.
Following an alleged bashing of Mr Medcraft, one of the defendants, Mr Sheehan, struck the deceased to the back of his leg with a sword, the court previously heard. He died later that morning.
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 murder.
Their trial continued in Launceston Supreme Court on Thursday.
A key defence claim, made by Mr Sheehan’s counsel Greg Richardson, is that the group associated with Mr Medcraft issued threats that they were associated with the Bandidos to the defendants during a confrontation earlier in the night outside Ms Ford’s 48 Thorne St, Acton residence.
Under cross-examination on Wednesday, Mr Medcraft’s friend Jake MacDonald, 24, another witness to the night of violence, denied such a threat was made and that he was associated with the gang.
However, on Thursday, Mr Morrisson told the court he, Mr Medcraft and Mr MacDonald were all associated with the Bandidos gang at the relevant time.
He denied making or hearing anyone make such a threat to any of the defendants, though.
Mr Richardson said it would be a strange “coincidence” if one or more of the defendants heard a threat about Bandidos involvement and it did in fact turn out the trio were involved with the gang, but the threat was not in fact made.
Mr Morrisson agreed it was a coincidence.
The witness also made further key concessions under cross-examination.
He told the court it was Mr Medcraft’s group who first went to “hunt” Mr Ford to “fight” him, travelling first to Mr Ford’s Shorewell Park home, then on to Mr Ford’s sister’s at Thorne St.
Mr Morrisson said, when they discovered no-one home at Mr Ford’s, he, Mr MacDonald and Mr Medcraft let themselves in to the home to commit a burglary.
The witness said Mr MacDonald stole a Nintendo Switch and a longboard from the residence.
Under cross-examination on Wednesday, Mr MacDonald only identified Mr Medcraft as having entered Mr Ford’s residence.
Mr Morrisson also told the jury his version of what happened during the final showdown outside his home.
After being contacted by Mr Medcraft, who told him the defendants were in hot pursuit, he “took two steak knives and called police,” Mr Morrisson told the court.
The 90-second triple-0 call was played to the jury.
Mr Morrisson gave the operator his address and told them, “They’re here now... The people with bats”. The line went dead suddenly.
The witness said that after the two cars pulled up, the trailing one ramming into Mr Medcraft and Mr MacDonald’s car, he ran out and attempted to arm his two friends with the steak knives.
He told the court they refused and he threw them in the garden.
Mr Morrisson said he traded blows with Mr Hanlon on the roadway, before he slipped over and cut his hand badly on a piece of glass.
He said he withdrew from the fight at this point and attempted to patch himself up in his home’s detached laundry out the back.
The trial continues.
Barristers tell court key Bobby witness kept changing story
The evidence of a key witness in the trial of five Tasmanians charged with murdering a young Burnie dad has been attacked under cross-examination.
Jake MacDonald, 24, has been giving evidence in Launceston Supreme Court for most of Wednesday.
Five people, 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 murdering Bobby William Medcraft, 23, on the morning of March 29, 2020.
Mr MacDonald is a key Crown witness, having been with Mr Medcraft for most of the night in question, including the final showdown about 3.50am outside 4 Ritchie Ave, Downlands.
Mr MacDonald previously gave evidence about witnessing two people punching and kicking Mr Medcraft to the head as he lay stricken in a garden bed, before a third man made a “sweeping motion” to the deceased’s leg, although he couldn’t see what that person was wielding.
A number of defence counsel questioned Mr MacDonald about inconsistencies between his evidence on Wednesday, his contemporaneous statements to Tasmania Police on March 29 and April 1, and sworn evidence he gave on July 12 last year.
Bodycam footage replayed to the court after police arrived at the Ritchie Ave scene depicted Mr MacDonald telling officers Mr Medcraft was struck with a “baseball bat”. He also did not describe witnessing Mr Sheehan use a “sweeping motion” towards Mr Medcraft’s leg.
Mr MacDonald admitted making those prior statements.
Paul Sullivan, representing Mr Hanlon, questioned Mr MacDonald about sworn evidence he gave to the court on July 12 last year.
Quoting Mr MacDonald’s prior evidence, he said the witness told the court on that occasion he “did not see kicking”. Instead, he swore could see “three others punching and elbowing and whatnot into his (Mr Medcraft’s) top half”.
Mr Sullivan noted he was “under oath” on that previous occasion, as he was on Wednesday.
Mr MacDonald admitted making those prior statements.
Patrick O’Halloran, representing Mr Deverell, also stated there were inconsistencies between the July 12 evidence and Wednesday’s.
Mr MacDonald told the court on Wednesday Mr O’Halloran’s client had prevented him from intervening to save Mr Medcraft.
Quoting the previous evidence, Mr MacDonald’s response to the question, “He (Mr Deverell) wasn’t preventing you moving anywhere?”, the witness said, “He wasn’t, like, stopping me, no”.
Mr MacDonald admitted making those prior statements.
The trial continues.
EARLIER 12PM: A key witness in the trial of five Tasmanians charged with murdering a young Burnie dad has told a jury of his stricken friend “lying face down in a garden” while two people punched and kicked his head and a third person struck the deceased’s leg with a “sweeping motion”.
South Burnie dad Bobby William Medcraft, 23, died on the morning of March 29, 2020, after being allegedly bashed before being struck to his leg with a sword, causing him to bleed out.
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 murdering Mr Medcraft.
Key witness, Jake MacDonald, 24, who was close friends with Mr Medcraft and was with him at the final showdown outside 4 Ritchie Ave, Downlands, took the stand on Wednesday in Launceston Supreme Court.
Mr MacDonald described the final scene at Ritchie Ave, outside the house of friend Kayden Morrisson’s house, where the witness, Mr Medcraft and girlfriend Kalinda Morrisson fled after the defendants arrived at the deceased’s Cunningham St address.
Following a “car chase” where his vehicle was repeatedly “bumped” and had the rear window smashed while turning a corner, the trailing vehicle “slid up beside us, blocking my door,” Mr MacDonald said.
Mr Medcraft exited first and he and Mr Ford began throwing punches in the middle of the street, Mr MacDonald told the court.
The witness said he exited the vehicle via the passenger side door and began also punching Mr Ford, who tried to hit back but missed.
Mr MacDonald said a “bald” man then confronted him as Mr Ford and Mr Medcraft split off, but the bald man soon peeled off also. He told the court a man in “black pants and black top” then cornered him at the side of the property.
“He was getting in my way, I was telling him to stop, they’re hurting him (Mr Medcraft), they’re probably going to kill him,” he said.
Mr MacDonald said he could see Mr Medcraft “lying facedown in the garden”.
“Bobby was getting kicked and punched repeatedly in the head. Lucas was on top of him, the top half of him, another one was kicking and punching him at his head. I think that was the bald fella,” he said.
“Bobby’s hands were over his head, he was trying to tell them to stop. I did (see feet connecting with his head). Lucas was leaning over him, punching him to the side of the head.”
Mr MacDonald said he then witnessed a man “wearing shorts and a black top” approach Mr Medcraft and “do a sweeping motion at the back of his leg”.
The witness said it was too dark to see what was in the man’s hand.
The trial continues.
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