Defence quotes Clinton in trial

A DEFENCE barrister has used an infamous quote by former US president Bill Clinton in his closing address at the trial into Michael Mccabe’s alleged murder.

Defence barrister Harvey Walters was animated as he laid out the reasons why the jury should find his client, Brent Malcolm Huxley, not guilty in Townsville Supreme Court of Mr Mccabe’s murder.

He was challenging the integrity of witness Graham Anderson, who has criminal convictions recorded against his name including for drugs and shop lifting, and had questioned how honesty was defined when asked about his history under cross-examination.

“It’s a bit like, I did not have sexual relations with that woman,” Mr Walters told the court.

Mr Walters argued the injuries Mr Mccabe sustained in the Burnda St apartment proved to be fatal, and the evidence given by Candis Greer that Huxley wasn’t in the apartment when she saw Mr Mccabe on the floor in a pool of blood should be accepted.

“It is so obvious, it is so confronting, it’s so there, it’s so real … that’s it’s an affront to logic and common sense to spin some longwinded, convoluted story that it was something else,” he said. Mr Walters also attacked the evidence of witness Darren Hess, who testified previously in the trial that Huxley had visited him with Leonie Maree Doyle more than once and told him he killed Mr Mccabe.

“He said he’d done a hit on a fella for $10,000, told me he dropped a rock on him and showed me his actions how he’d done it,” Mr Hess had testified.

“A $10,000 hit? That would have to be the cheapest hit in Australian modern history,” Mr Walters said. “Ten thousand dollars? Mr Hess says to kill somebody? The price is as small as Hess’s mind. This is not a flippant submission, you kill somebody for $10,000, wouldn’t even pay your lawyer to get to the committal stage.

“It’s just nonsense, where is the money? Where is it?”

The prosecution alleges Huxley killed Mr Mccabe on or about August 15, 2015.

His body was found in a creek bed down an embankment off the side of Mount Spec Rd on September 17, 2015.

Leonie Maree Doyle is charged with being an accessory after the fact to manslaughter.

Matthew Luke Horima Rewha is charged with unlawful assault occasioning bodily harm while in company. All three have pleaded not guilty.

The trial continues.