Court told of Hague links
TWO men who told police Nick Munn owned up to the murder of Ricky Balcombe both have close links to the Geelong man convicted of the crime — Karl Hague.
The claims Munn confessed to killing his friend in the Market Square shopping centre in 1995 can be made public after Munn was last week convicted of murdering North Shore dad Jason Fry last year.
But prosecutors have cast doubt on the allegations, pointing to the evidence that convicted Hague of the coldcase murder last year, and the fact the two men who later came forward have connections to him.
Rodney James Whitehand told the Court of Appeal earlier this month he’d known Hague for 20 years.
While it appeared he tried to downplay their friendship, Mr Whitehand conceded under oath that he attended court during Hague’s trial for the Balcombe murder last year, and later visited him in jail after he was found guilty.
Shortly after that meeting, Mr Whitehand contacted Hague’s lawyers, then made a new statement to police about the murder of Mr Fry, claiming Munn confessed to killing Balcombe while Hague was on trial for the crime.
Hague is presently serving a 26-year jail term for killing Balcombe in Geelong’s Market Square shopping centre in 1995.
James Middleton also made a statement that was tabled in the Court of Appeal by Hague’s lawyers. It was made last year after he and Hague spent four months in the same section of the same jail.
But Middleton did not appear at the Court of Appeal hearing, as requested.
Mr Whitehand said he was introduced to Munn at Mr Fry’s North Shore warehouse in April last year.
“Jase put his arm around me, and said he (Munn) killed Ricky,” Mr Whitehand said.
The following day, unbeknown to Mr Whitehand, Munn killed Mr Fry at the same premises with a hammer and hid his body in a car boot. He was convicted of the murder by a jury on Thursday.
Mr Whitehand said Munn was acting frantically each time he saw him over the next few days, and told him Mr Fry had “disappeared to Queensland”.
On one occasion, Mr Whitehand said Munn, unprompted and behaving erratically, raised the Balcombe murder in conversation.
According to Mr Whitehand that conversation went like this: Munn: “Jase told you, didn’t he?” Whitehand: “What are you talking about?” Munn: “He told you, didn’t he?” Whitehand: “What are you talking about?” Munn: “That I done Ricky.” “I was stunned,” Mr Whitehand testified. “(He said) ‘I killed Ricky’ to try to make it clearer.”
About a week later, with Mr Fry still absent, Mr Whitehand phoned 000 about his suspicions Munn had killed him.
He also made a statement to police that helped lead to the discovery of the corpse in the car and Munn’s arrest.
But on neither occasion did Mr Whitehand mention Munn’s alleged confession to the Balcombe murder.
The court of Appeal heard the only reference he made to the 1995 killing was on 000 call when he said “I wouldn’t put it past him (Munn) to be the one who killed Ricky Balcombe”.
He told the Court of Appeal he knew the alleged confession could be vital to his friend Hague’s trial, which was wrapping up in Melbourne, but said police prevented him from talking about that.
“I was told by the police officer not to say anything about the Ricky stuff because it had nothing to do with this case at all,” Mr Whitehand said.
Mr Whitehand’s testimony was not strong enough to be considered fresh evidence that would force a retrial for Hague, but the convicted killer’s lawyers used it to argue he should get one so they could quiz Munn on the stand.
A decision from the Court of Appeal is pending.