Teen lured with sex
Teenager Jack McAllister died after suffering 14 stab wounds but none of the five people on trial for his murder wielded the knife, a court has been told.
Crown lawyer Riki Donnelly told the jury in his opening address that all five played a part in the 19-year-old’s death, including luring him to the stadium and lulling him into a false sense of security, providing a vehicle to get to the scene, or encouraging others with words and actions.
Donnelly said another man, Brayden Whiting-Roff, who has previously pleaded guilty to a charge of murdering McAllister, was the principal assailant who stabbed McAllister. Another female defendant who has name suppression, has also previously pleaded guilty to murdering McAllister, the court was told.
McAllister was lured to near the stadium with a promise of sex, Donnelly said.
There was significant animosity held by prominent members of the group towards McAllister, Donnelly said.
The animosity was based on the belief he had acted inappropriately towards females and towards some members of the group and others they knew about, he said.
Natasha Ruffell, Christopher Brown, Laura Scheepers and David Wilson are four of the five people on trial over Jack McAllister’s death at the High Court in Invercargill. Another woman has interim name suppression.
McAllister, also known as Jade Fearn, was attacked near ILT Stadium Southland on June 7, 2017, and died in hospital early the next day.
It would be clear during the trial that a number of defendants were ‘‘out to get’’ McAllister prior to June 7, Donnelly said.
He said Whiting-Roff had posted: ‘‘I’m going to f... him up’’ and ‘‘IDGAF [I don’t give a f...] what anyone says. He is worth going to jail for. Pigs aren’t doing anything. I will catch you up Jack.’’
Brown had posted a Facebook message that evening asking ‘‘Where the f... are you ... McAllister?’’ Scheepers had responded: ‘‘Me bro, I know’’.
She had separately indicated to other defendants that evening that she would get McAllister to come somewhere. She messaged him asking if he was keen to f... and suggested they meet about 11pm at Surrey Park ‘‘bleachers’’ – the grandstand to the outdoor sports stadium next to Stadium Southland.
The other defendants had a meeting at Ettrick Street where Whiting-Roff had been brandishing a knife and calling McAllister a ‘‘rapist’’.
‘‘All those present would, the Crown says, have known what he intended to do,’’ Donnelly told the jury.
They used Ruffell’s car to go to the stadium and her culpability was ‘‘she allowed them to use the car in the knowledge of what they intended to do’’.
The car was driven by Wilson and contained Brown, WhitingRoff, and two others whose identities are suppressed.
Scheepers had sent a message to Brown advising: ‘‘Don’t come yet. Give me 10 minutes otherwise he will bolt’’.
Donnelly showed the jury CCTV footage of a white Mazda arriving at the stadium, in which were McAllister and Braydon McKay, who had been described as his ‘‘bodyguard’’.
Scheepers had taken McAllister away from his friend, Donnelly said.
The footage later showed others arriving at the Mazda.
The jury was also shown computer-generated imagery showing a lengthy blood trail around the Surrey Park grounds, based on forensic examination by the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR).
Donnelly said the group left and drove to a Crawford St property where they decided to throw the knife into a bush in front of
The jury was shown computer-generated imagery showing a lengthy blood trail.
Queen’s Park, where police later recovered it.
McKay drove McAllister to his biological father’s house in Brooke St, where an ambulance was called which took him to Southland Hospital.
The trial is under way after a lengthy process to select the jury, which Justice Rachel Dunningham said was the longest jury empanelment process she had ever seen. More than 20 people who turned up for jury selection had to be recused because they had links to the defendants and witnesses.
Security has been tightened in the courtroom, which has also been revamped to allow for the high number of defendants, security guards and lawyers.
The Crown case will be run by Crown prosecutor Mary-Jane Thomas and Crown lawyer Riki Donnelly, while the five defendants will each be represented by two lawyers.
The public attending the trial, including family members of the defendants, will be required to watch the trial on a big screen from another courtroom in the Invercargill Court House.