Bobby Medcraft murder trial week 3: Sarah King gives evidence
The trial of five Tasmanians accused of murdering Burnie dad Bobby Medcraft enters its third week. The partner of one of the defendants has been accused of tailoring her evidence.
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UPDATE 3PM: The partner of one of five people charged with murdering young Burnie dad Bobby William Medcraft has been accused by the Crown of “tailoring” her evidence.
The witness, Sarah King, who was dating defendant Michael William Hanlon, 54, at the time Mr Medcraft died, denied the allegation.
Mr Medcraft died on the morning of March 29, 2020, after being allegedly bashed then 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, Cody Christopher Shane Sheehan, 33, and Mr Hanlon have all pleaded not guilty to murder.
Ms King gave evidence in Launceston Supreme Court for much of Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, she gave evidence about trying to calm the male defendants after they were told by Ms Ford that Mr Medcraft and company had arrived at her place seeking Mr Ford.
“Violence doesn’t solve anything,” she said she told the men.
After Mr Medcraft and company left Ms Ford’s residence following a confrontation with the male defendants, Ms King told the jury the defendants became agitated as a “car kept on driving up and down Thorne St, we were worried”.
Thst is when the defendants made the decision to go on the front foot and leave together, Ms King said.
Crown prosecutor Jack Shapiro accused her of “tailoring” her evidence, as she made no mention of the suspicious vehicle when she gave a statement to police the day Mr Medcraft died.
Ms King responded it definitely happened and she believed she told police in that first interview. She suggested police messed up by not recording that evidence.
Mr Shapiro took Ms King back to that previous, contemporaneous statement, wherein Ms King told officers Ms Ford was “screaming” on the phone, seeking an address from someone.
“Fordy (Mr Ford) was being pretty bossy and told everyone to get in the car,” Ms King previously told police.
“I was pleading so hard for them not to go, I was worried for their safety,” she previously said.
UPDATE 12PM: The partner of one of five people charged with murdering young Burnie dad Bobby William Medcraft says she tried to urge calm on the group of defendants as they drove to meet the deceased’s group for the first time.
Mr Medcraft died on the morning of March 29, 2020, after being allegedly bashed then 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 murder.
Sarah King, the partner of Mr Hanlon, told the jury on Tuesday she was drinking with her partner, Mr Deverell, Mr Ford and others when Mr Ford began receiving messages from Luke Buckley.
The pair began feuding viciously before Mr Buckley, Mr Medcraft and others attempting to find Mr Ford, first at his Shorewell Park house, then at his sister Ms Ford’s 48 Thorne St, Acton residence.
In response to a call from Ms Ford requesting assistance, Ms King and the three defendants she was with travelled to aid in the dispute.
“Kelsey had phoned Lucas in distress because there were people at her house threatening her and her children,” she said.
She said she was “worried” about what would happen at Ms Ford’s.
“I was worried for Michael and Lucas and Geoff, worried about everyone, their safety, I just said, one punch does kill, violence doesn’t solve anything,” Ms King told the jury.
“Ring the police instead. I was worried for their safety.”
EARLIER: The trial of five Tasmanians charged with murdering young Burnie dad Bobby William Medcraft is entering its third week.
Mr Medcraft died on the morning of March 29, 2020, after being allegedly bashed then 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 murder.
The trial will resume in Launceston Supreme Court at 10am.
WEEK 2 WHAT WE LEARNT
Bandidos bikie gang link: A key defence claim is that Mr Medcraft and company threatened the defendants that they were associated with the Bandidos, with the aim of striking fear into them. While Mr Medcraft’s friend Jake MacDonald gave evidence there were no gang links, Kayden Morrisson contradicted this. He told the jury he, Mr Medcraft and Mr MacDonald were all associated with the Bandidos. But he denied issuing or hearing anyone make threats of this nature.
Burglary at a defendant’s house: Another defence claim is that Mr Medcraft and company committed a burglary on Mr Ford’s Shorewell Park residence earlier in the night, when they went there to bash him. Mr Morrisson confirmed to the jury that he, Mr Medcraft and Mr MacDonald entered the house. Mr MacDonald stole a Nintendo Switch console and a skateboard, according to Mr Morrisson.
Inside the final showdown: Mr MacDonald told the jury that when the two vehicles pulled up outside Mr Morrisson’s Ritchie Ave house about 3.45am, Mr Medcraft and Mr Ford exited immediately and began punching each other in the roadway. Mr MacDonald said he joined, then had a brief confrontation with Mr Hanlon, then was cornered by Mr Deverell, where he remained. Mr Morrisson said he and Mr Hanlon traded blows, before he slipped and cut his hand badly on glass on the roadway. He withdrew from the melee to patch himself up. Mr Hanlon then allegedly joined Mr Ford in bashing Mr Medcraft, before Mr Sheehan approached with the sword to deliver the coup de grace.
WEEK 1 WHAT WE LEARNT
The sword used: The jury was told on Wednesday the sword used to kill Mr Medcraft was from a brand called ‘Fantasy Maker’. It was described as being red, adorned with skulls, and bound with a red cord on its handle. When police arrived at the scene, the sword, placed in a black sheath, was discovered in the front seat of the vehicle the defendants used to travel to Ritchie Ave, the court heard.
The dispute which started it all: In his opening address on Tuesday, Crown prosecutor Jack Shapiro told the jury a friend of Mr Medcraft’s “mistakenly” sent a Snapchat to Mr Ford (who he didn’t know), which said something like, “What’s up, c---”. The messages soon turned ugly and grew into threatening phone calls. Mr Medcraft and his friends Kayden Morrisson and Jake MacDonald, who were at Mr Medcraft’s Cunningham Rd, South Burnie house when the dispute started, became aware of the spiralling incident and involved themselves.
How the first melee was avoided: The two groups of people – Mr Medcraft, partner Kalinda Morrisson, her brother Kayden, Mr MacDonald and Luke Buckley, and the five defendants – nearly came to blows earlier in the night outside 48 Thorne St, Acton, the home of Ms Ford. An ugly scene was about to kick off, but a passing police unit happened to see trouble brewing and broke it up. “The confrontation didn’t develop into an actual fight... the two groups were separated by police,” Mr Shapiro told the jury. But the night wasn’t over.
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