Man found guilty of manslaughter
A MAN has been acquitted of murder but is guilty of manslaughter after being involved in a bloody killing at Townsville’s Sturt Lodge.
A Townsville Supreme Court jury found Richard Gordon Maxwell Swan guilty of the alternate charge of manslaughter after returning a not-guilty verdict to murder.
A MAN has been found not guilty of murder after being involved in a bloody killing at Townsville’s Sturt Lodge.
After a three-day trial in the Townsville Supreme Court a jury found Richard Gordon Maxwell Swan guilty to the alternate charge of manslaughter after returning a notguilty verdict to murder.
Swan was involved in the killing of Rodney Kayne Ferrar (also known as Stokes) on August 2, 2016 at the motel. The Crown had alleged another man physically killed Mr Ferrar, who was bashed in the head with a plank of wood, but Swan’s actions or inactions contributed to the death.
Throughout the trial the court heard Swan was an “aide” to the main offender, described as a caucasian man with tattoos, who will stand trial in 2020.
The Crown alleged Swan had used a hat to obstruct the view of a security camera on the night of the killing. Swan had pleaded not guilty to murder and the jury took less than four hours to reach their verdict.
On the third day of the trial, the jury heard the final summing up from Crown Prosecutor Nigel Rees and barrister Ted Bassett. Justice David Boddice asked the jury to be careful when coming to a verdict and establishing reasonable doubt that Swan knew of the man with tattoos’ intention to murder the deceased.
“The prosecution argues that the defendant is guilty of the murder of Rodney Kayne Ferrar because he aided the white man with the tattoos to commit it by acting as a lookout, covering up the CCTV with his cap, knowing that the white man with the tattoos was intending to kill Rodney Kayne Ferrar,” he said.
“Only if you are satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant covered the CCTV with his cap in so intending to help the white man with the tattoos knowing the white man with the tattoos was going to intentionally kill Rodney Kayne Ferrar.”
Swan’s intoxication was also highlighted by the judge as evidence the jury should consider as a state of his memory of the events may offer an explanation for his conduct.
Mr Ferrar’s mother, father, three sisters as well as his aunts, uncle and cousins were in court for the verdict.
Swan will be sentenced on October 14.