Today's Courier Mail
ACCUSED SAID HE’D ‘PAY PER LIMB’, COURT TOLD
Patrick Billings
A man accused of murdering his ex-partner by having his new girlfriend mow her down in a large four-wheel-drive moments after she dropped her daughter at kindergarten allegedly told others he wanted her maimed and would “pay per limb”.
Tyler Scott William James, who is charged with the murder of Kiesha Thompson, has now been hit with two counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice after allegedly trying to have witnesses change their police statements.
In Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday, he was refused bail.
His co-accused Larissa Rita Mae-Leigh Sant, has been granted bail. She is charged with murder after allegedly running down and killed Ms Thompson with a Toyota Prado in Logan last July.
The crown alleges James counselled Sant to murder the 23-year-old so he would become the sole parent of their young daughter.
“That’s why the crown says he went to the incredible and horrifying level of determining to organise to run his ex-partner over,” prosecutor Michael Lehane said.
“This is a man the crown says that will go to levels of extreme dangerousness … This was a plan to end a life.”
Mr Lehane said the child’s carer had expressed concern for their family if James was released.
The crown alleges James previously made threats to Ms Thompson and “attempts to engage others to injure her”.
The defendant allegedly told others he was willing to pay to have Ms Thompson’s legs broken so she couldn’t care for their child.
“He further stated that he wanted the deceased to be maimed and would be willing to pay per limb,” Mr Lehane claimed.
The court heard that while in custody James allegedly spoke to his mother about getting two witnesses to change their police statements.
“If I end up copping 20 years for that, I’ll lose it,” James was allegedly recorded saying in prison.
“Can someone go to his house or something? All we have to do is say that he’s under the influence or was coerced by the police and his statement doesn’t mean anything.”
Mr Lehane criticised the proposed bail address on Russell Island in Moreton Bay saying the only partially manned police station there meant James would not be properly supervised.
But James’ barrister Matt Hynes said the alleged attempt to pervert justice phone calls were made just after his client had been taken into custody for the first time ever.
“It puts a different complexion on the way in which he said those words,” he argued.
“Someone that was clutching at straws, not someone who’s genuinely formulating a conniving plan to get people to change their statements.”
Mr Hynes said the wholly circumstantial case against his client had flaws – “there is no direct evidence of any plan to kill or any instruction to that effect,” he said.
Justice Lincoln Crowley said the case was strong.
“On the crown case this was an … offence which had been planned for some time,” he said. Bail was refused.