Stabbing trial: Victim and accused argued
A man fatally stabbed in Surfers Paradise allegedly argued with one of the men charged with his murder in the hours before his death, a court has been told.
Four men are currently facing trial in Brisbane Supreme Court in relation to the death of Raymond Harris on September 23, 2020.
The jury was told on the first day of the trial that Mr Harris died within minutes of being stabbed once in the abdomen, with the wound slicing through his liver and stomach.
It is alleged Jye Sebastian Webb-Italia, now 22, delivered the fatal injury at about 9pm outside the Surfers Paradise Beer Garden on Cavill Ave.
On Tuesday, he entered a guilty plea to manslaughter, but the prosecution would not accept his plea to the lesser charge.
Co-accused Kyle Jack Webb, 28, and Jarod James Miller, 25, are also charged with murder but on the basis they “aided and encouraged” Mr Webb-Italia to fatally stab Mr Harris, the court was previously told.
A fourth man, Zaynn Stevannes Bekker, 35, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of being an accessory after the fact to either murder or manslaughter by assisting Mr Webb to enable him to escape punishment.
A witness statement given to police at the time of Mr Harris’ death by his second cousin, who had been out drinking with him that night, was also read to the jury.
Acting Justice Ann Lyons told jurors that as the man was now deceased and unable to give evidence in court, his recollection of the night’s events could not be tested under cross-examination, meaning it would be for them to decide whether his statement was reliable and how much weight to give it.
Justice Lyons also told the jury the man had a criminal history and that his statement should not be given any special weight due to its document form.
Police were told in the statement that the pair met up in Surfers Paradise in the early evening, sharing a few drinks and meeting up with another two men before moving on to the Beer Garden.
The court was told the man claimed he was contacted several times by Mr Webb that night, seemingly arguing or having “heated” discussions with Mr Harris about “some issues from years back”.
According to the statement, their group was downstairs in the pokies area when they were confronted by another three men – one of whom he recognised as Mr Webb.
The man claimed one of the other men had a knife – which he described as being the length of an A4 sheet of paper – sheathed in a mesh sleeve in the front of his pants that he quickly withdrew before leaving the scene of the confrontation.
Police were told the witness believed the trio were affected by methylamphetamines due to their appearances and high energy.
His statement said that after the altercation, the man went to the bathroom and back to the gaming area before exiting the venue, at which point he realised he was alone and that Mr Harris was lying on the ground nearby.
He told police he could tell his cousin was badly hurt and was tended to by other people for about 25 minutes before being taken away in an ambulance, the court was told.
The man made his way to hospital and was soon told Mr Harris was dead, according to his statement.
The court was closed for much of the remainder of Thursday’s proceedings as special witnesses gave evidence.
The trial will continue on Friday and is expected to run for two to three weeks.