‘Mob mentality’ before attack

A woman, accused of the murder of a 19-year-old Invercargill man, has described a ‘‘fire-cracker effect’’ and ‘‘mob mentality’’ leading up to Jack McAllister’s death.

Natasha Ruffell’s second police interview, recorded on April 27, 2018, was played in the High Court at Invercargill yesterday.

Ruffell, Christopher Brown, Laura Scheepers, David Wilson, and a 24-yearold woman with name suppression – are on trial for murder. Brayden Whiting-Roff and a 17-year-old with name suppression have already pleaded guilty to murder charges.

Detective Constable Melanie Robertson told Ruffell since the first interview, on June 8, new information had come to light.

Ruffell told the detective Brayden Whiting-Roff, who has already pleaded guilty to murder, and defendant Christopher Brown, were ‘‘amped up’’ at her house on Ettrick St on the night of the attack on McAllister.

As others turned up to the house they were ‘‘feeding off each other’’ and acting in a ‘‘mob mentality’’, she said.

‘‘It was like a firecracker effect and everyone was the same.’’

She maintained she did not know anything had been planned at her house, she said.

After McAllister was stabbed, she said some of the group arrived back at her house ‘‘celebrating’’.

‘‘At that point I still had not heard Jack’s name mentioned.’’

She later dropped Scheepers at Dominos, then dropped the 17-year-old at the police station, she said.

Ruffell was back home when she got a text from the woman wanting to get picked up.

Robertson referred to Ruffell’s witness statement that also described how some members of the group had been at a party days before the attack chanting, ‘‘kill, kill, kill’’ around a fire.

Ruffell said McAllister was her friend and had told people ‘‘multiple times’’ to leave him alone. If she had known what was going on and the power to stop it, she would have, she said.

‘‘I would rather have Jack here today.’’

Detective Sergeant Mark McCloy’s interview with Brown on June 8, 2017 was also played to the court.

Brown said he had only gone to the stadium to talk to McAllister, who was his cousin, about an incident involving Scheepers.

He knew Scheepers through church and their families were friends, he said.

When Scheepers messaged Brown about meeting up with McAllister at the stadium, Brown was at Ettrick St with Whiting-Roff, he said.

‘‘I said, ‘Brayden, I’m gonna go talk to Jack about an incident’, and he was like, ‘I’ve been given an all clear to go stab him, kill him’.’’

Whiting-Roff had a Bear Grylls knife at the house that had been grounded down. Others at the house heard him say he was going to kill McAllister, he said.

He said Whiting-Roff was messaging Scheepers off his phone while the group made their way to the stadium.

Brown said he also took a knife to the stadium but he did not use it.

During the attack, Brown said he tried to stop Whiting-Roff.

‘‘It was like a firecracker effect and everyone was the same.’’ Murder co-accused Natasha Ruffell