Man alleges killing was a ‘conspiracy’

Kasha William Gosset has given evidence blaming co-accused Cody Derek Martin and a woman for conspiring in the shooting murder of Bradley Alan Lomax.

The woman has name suppression in the trial before Justice Cameron Mander and a jury in the High Court at Christchurch. Gosset gave evidence in his own defence on the eighth day of the trial, including an allegation under cross-examination that the woman had ‘‘put Martin up to killing Lomax’’.

Martin’s defence counsel Kerryn Beaton then asked: ‘‘Are you saying that (the woman) and Cody Martin have conspired to kill Mr Lomax?’’ Gosset replied ‘‘one hundred per cent’’ and denied Beaton’s suggestion he had made it up.

During the cross-examination, Gosset called the woman a nasty name and commented on Beaton’s ability as a lawyer.

Gosset said he knew nothing about what was going to happen to Lomax when the three men drove to a remote stretch of Waimakariri riverbed, near Kaiapoi, on September 4, 2017.

He said had he known what Martin planned ‘‘there is no way I would have allowed it to happen.’’

Martin told him afterwards that he killed Lomax because of his violence towards the woman, who had been seen with bruises, he said.

‘‘He knew that Lomax had a contract on his head and Cody wanted to collect it. He said if I told anyone I would be next. At the time, he had a pretty big team behind him.’’

Gosset, 37, of Oxford, and Martin, a 31-year-old drainlayer from Mairehau, both deny the joint charge of murdering Lomax. During their police interviews, they blamed each other for firing the fatal shots.

Lomax was found dead in the riverbed after being shot several times with a shotgun and a cutdown .22 rifle.

The trial is continuing and is expected to finish next week.