ALLISON Baden-Clay: the committal hearing of her husband Gerard starts Monday, March 11. Source: The Courier-Mail
DAY one of the a six-day hearing to determine whether Gerard Baden-Clay will face trial for the murder of his wife is under way.
9.55am: The first witness to take the stand is Kerry-Anne Walker, a close friend of Allison Baden-Clay's.
Ms Walker, a Flight Centre travel agent, provided two statements to police - one after she was reported missing and a second after her body was found.
Defence barrister Peter Davis asked Ms Walker whether she believed Baden-Clay was a suspect when she first gave a statement.
She said Baden-Clay had told her police would point the finger at him.
"Gerard mentioned to me the morning he arrived that police would suspect him," she said.
Mr Davis said Ms Walker had made many observations about the couple's relationship in her second statement.
"Allison and I had numerous conversations over numerous years," she said.
"It was what I felt I needed to speak to the police about."
9.47am: The prosecution case against Baden-Clay is a circumstantial one, prosecutor Danny Boyle has told the court.
He said the Crown considered Baden-Clay had two motives for killing his wife.
The first was the marital problems he was experiencing with Allison.
Mr Boyle said although Baden-Clay had told police he had ended his affair with former work colleague Toni McHugh, there was evidence it was still ongoing.
He said an email sent to Ms McHugh promised he would leave his wife so they could be together by July 1.
The court heard Mr Baden-Clay was also in serious financial difficulty - with debts amounting to $975,000.
9.38am: The gallery caught a brief glimpse of Baden-Clay when his lawyer asked him for some instructions.
Baden-Clay is clean-shaven with neatly trimmed hair and wearing a dark suit and dark-rimmed glasses.
9.25am: The court has heard that one witness, Carmel Ritchie, is separately represented by a lawyer after she was summonsed to give evidence.
Ms Ritchie, a counsellor with relationships Australia, will argue that any documentation or evidence she could give, would be inadmissible in court.
"It is conceded that she is compelled by way of summons but anything she has to say is inadmissible in these proceedings," Ms Ritchie's lawyer told the court.
Peter Davis, for Baden-Clay, said his client did not consent to waiving any "privilege" from the counselling sessions.
The argument over whether Ms Ritchie will be compelled to give evidence on private counselling sessions will be heard next Wednesday.
9.20am: Prosecutor Danny Boyle has told the court 42 witnesses will be called throughout the hearing and 330 statements will be tendered.
Baden-Clay has arrived in court but is hiding from view of the public gallery in the corner of a glassed-in box.
Allison Baden-Clay, 43, was reported missing by her husband on April 20, 2012.
Her body was found 10 days later on the banks of the Kholo Creek at Anstead.
Baden-Clay, 42, was charged with her murder and interfering with a corpse two months later.
Forty-three witnesses, including friends, business partners and staff are expected to be called in the high-profile case.
- Refresh this page for rolling coverage of the hearing during the day
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét