‘No clue where she is’: Accused

Schoolgirl Jayde failed to turn up for McDonald’s shift, court hears

MURDER accused Brenden Jacob Bennetts told a detective neither he nor his friends “had any clue” about what happened to 16-year-old Jayde Kendall.

The Gatton schoolgirl went missing on Friday, August 14, 2015. This week, 21-year-old Mr Bennetts pleaded not guilty to murder.

But he did plead guilty to interfering with a corpse and to manslaughter.

The Crown rejected the manslaughter plea, so the murder trial is proceeding in Brisbane Supreme Court.

After Jayde disappeared, a homicide detective called Mr Bennetts on August 18 at 3.48pm.

By this time, Jayde’s disappearance had featured in news reports.

Mr Bennetts told the detective he had not seen Jayde since Thursday, August 6.

“Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary,” Mr Bennetts added.

In a phone call played to the court, Mr Bennetts was asked if he had called or texted Jayde since then.

Mr Bennetts said he didn’t “think so” and added: “We weren’t really close.”

Colleagues and managers from the McDonald’s restaurant in Gatton also gave evidence at the trial on Tuesday.

The last day she was seen alive, Jayde was asked to start work one hour early.

But she told her manager she had school assignments to do, and that was the last her boss heard from her.

“I really wish you would of come in. We are missing you,” restaurant manager Maria Nemeth wrote on a private Facebook group for staff two days after Jayde disappeared.

“She was a very bubbly, happy, talkative worker,” Ms Nemeth told the court.

“She didn’t ever no-show. She’d been asking for extra shifts because she bought a car and she was pretty keen on extra money.”

Ms Nemeth said Jayde was unusually articulate for a teenager, capable of relating to people of all ages.

Jayde was entrusted with tasks including being a “hostess”, which involved greeting customers and putting them at ease.

Another McDonald’s manager told the court Jayde was a “keen worker”, usually eager to pick up extra shifts.

She was rostered on to work from 5–9pm, but did not come.

Her father Bruce Morrissey arrived at the time Jayde was expected to finish her shift.

“He came to pick her up and asked ‘Was she ready?’ I told him she hadn’t showed up,” the manager said.

The trial before Justice Ann Lyons continues.