Woman ‘tipped off’ accused killer

THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2019 themercury.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS 1300 696 397 THE woman who tipped off accused killer Mark Rodney Jones to the whereabouts of Bradley Breward on the day he was allegedly murdered has told a court she didn’t want the 22-year-old to get hurt.

Tina Maree Robertson gave evidence in Mr Jones’ trial at the Supreme Court in Launceston yesterday, saying she was angry about a comment Mr Breward made on the morning of New Year’s Day 2017, so she called Mr Jones and told him Mr Breward was at her boyfriend’s Newnham unit.

The Crown alleges Mr Jones, 43, of West Launceston, tortured Mr Breward to death at the unit, before dumping the body in Lake Eugenana, near Devonport.

Ms Robertson told the court she had met Mr Breward about October 2016 and, shortly after, began a relationship with Mr Breward’s friend Cody Lee, who lived at the Newnham unit where Mr Breward is alleged to have been killed.

Ms Robertson came into contact with Mr Jones during December 2016, when he was on the hunt for Mr Breward, believing he had stolen his ute.

Mr Jones had approached Mr Lee for information about Mr Breward’s whereabouts, and one day Ms Robertson answered the phone she and her partner shared, which led to Mr Jones offering her money to lead him to Mr Breward.

She told the court she took Mr Jones and two other men to a Mayfield property where she believed Mr Breward was staying, but refused to help entice Mr Breward to come out.

On the morning of New Year’s Day, Ms Robertson went to Mr Lee’s unit, but left within minutes because her partner was “being mean” to her.

On her way out of the unit, Mr Breward, who had spent the night there, laughed at her and asked if she had slept with another man. “I probably wouldn’t even have rung Mark Jones if Brad didn’t laugh at me like that,” Ms Robertson told the court.

She said Mr Lee and Mr Jones wouldn’t tell her what happened to Mr Breward, although she was eventually paid $1000 by Mr Jones, who told her to delete his number and all messages between them from her phone.

“He told me he was only going to talk to him and I told him not to do anything to him or Cody, and he did — I hate him so much,” she said.

Mr Jones has pleaded not guilty to Mr Breward’s murder.

The trial, before Justice Robert Pearce, continues.