Man saw two others kill Annette
Inquest hears man watched from ‘cupboard’
A THIRD man has been accused of involvement in Annette Mason’s murder and a fourth of watching the killing from inside “a cupboard”.
The inquest yesterday heard claims Michael Laine and another man were involved in the girl’s murder.
Theresa Flynn said Mr Laine, her former partner, strenuously denied killing the Toowoomba 15-year-old, who was found dead in November 1989.
“Of course I had feelings that something wasn’t right,” Ms Flynn told Brisbane Coroners Court.
She said she asked Mr Laine several times if he was involved in killing Annette.
“He’s always said no. Always.”
But Ms Flynn said a different Toowoomba man told her “Michael and another person did it”, and that he was in the cupboard watching as Annette was killed.
Ms Flynn elaborated on how Mr Laine allegedly responded when confronted about Annette.
“He just broke down and said he didn’t want to go to jail and would rather neck himself.
“He’s never said anything about what occurred that morning at all.”
The inquest previously heard from witnesses who said Allan David McQueen confessed to killing Annette.
And on Wednesday, a witness said another man, who has since died, confessed to sodomising and murdering Mason.
For legal reasons, that man cannot currently be named.
McQueen appeared at the inquest on Thursday, declining to answer any questions that might cause him to incriminate himself.
But McQueen, now 51, turned to Annette’s family and claimed he offered to take a “lie detector test” in 2003 about her death.
The Mason family rejected that claim, saying they’d never previously been made any such offer.
The inquest continues.
‘‘ HE’S NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT OCCURRED THAT MORNING AT ALL.