Murder accused ‘talked with God’

THE family of hit-and-run victim Dale James Watson cried as they watched a video recording of accused murderer Joshua Josef Barker’s police interview in the Supreme Court yesterday.

Mr Barker has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and assault arrising from incidents on March 9 last year.

He was accused of deliberately driving onto a footpath in Prospect Vale to hit and kill Watson, before assaulting a Fastway courier driver in York St, Launceston.

In the police interview played to the jury, Mr Barker started his account of what had happened with an incident “nine and a half years ago” saying “this is the end result”.

He said “it all blew up” after he was bashed by a group of men in 2009 and was later diagnosed with with post traumatic stress disorder.

“That’s when it all went south,” he said.

Mr Barker told of a night last year when his “mind started to get confused” after hearing what he thought were gunshots in his street.

“That’s when my little boy got shot, my little cat.”

Mr Barker’s family previously told the court his cat was run over.

He told police he went weeks without sleeping and had demons in his head, before describing the events of the day of the alleged murder.

He initially told police he did not remember being involved in a collision in Prospect Vale.

“If I did run somebody over I will take full responsibility for that,” he said.

When asked again about the incident, Mr Barker began talking about conversations he had had with God. He then said he remembered going to Prospect Vale on the day of the alleged murder to “check out where [he] got bashed” because he hadn’t been back there.

“I’m not an angry person. I don’t think I can remember hitting anyone ... this is huge mate, this is huge. The antichrist maybe?”

He then asked police to tell him what the alleged murder victim was wearing.

When told, he said, “Actually, nah, I think I did hit something. But I didn’t know what I hit because I was right near a fence.

“I think I did, but I didn’t do it on purpose. It’s all coming back to me, but there are certain things I can’t see. I didn’t know it was a person.

“I accept full responsibility for his murder. But I didn’t mean to do it. I didn’t see him at all.

“Truly I want to say sorry to the family, I am so sorry.”

The trial continues.