Witness 'couldn't say no' to Cookson
The ex-girlfriend of the man accused of murdering Stephen Cookson has told a Supreme Court jury she did not feel she could say no during a sexual encounter between the trio in the men's Hay Street apartment.
Bree Michelle Smith, called to give evidence in Aaron Carlino's defence, also told the court that she was serving a five-year sentence in Bandyup jail for trying to sell $35,000 worth of methamphetamine to an undercover operative and lying to police in relation to a separate murder.
Smith described other violent and aggressive behaviour by Mr Cookson, including a threat over $1200 she owed him for drugs.
"He was saying he was going to put me in the boot of a car and take me to Teddington, which was a brothel, and get every maggot and arsehole in Perth to f.ck me," Smith testified this morning.
Smith said the threats over the drug debt prompted her to end her relationship with Mr Carlino, who she met in late 2011.
Mr Carlino has pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter, admitting he shot Mr Cookson twice in the head as he slept on a couch at the Hay Street apartment on December 15, 2012.
He then dismembered Mr Cookson's body and buried the remains at a property in Golden Bay. He later dug up the remains and tossed them off the side of a boat.
Mr Cookson's head was found washed up in a bag on a Rottnest Island beach on January 6, 2013.
But Mr Carlino denies he murdered Mr Cookson, arguing he acted in self defence and believed he had no other option in the face of the man's threatening and abusive behaviour.
This morning, Smith told the jury of an incident in a kebab shop opposite the Hay Street apartment when Mr Cookson became aggressive and abuse towards he ex-boyfriend.
She said Mr Cookson was yelling that Mr Carlino was a "useless f..king idiot" after a disagreement about the return of a hire car.
She said Mr Cookson was always telling Mr Carlino what to do and it was difficult for the couple to spend any time alone.
She said on one occasion, the three had been smoking methamphetamine at the men's apartment when Mr Cookson started grabbing her and telling Mr Carlino to do things to her of a sexual nature.
"I did not want to do it," Smith said. "I got the feeling from Aaron that if I didn't play along with it or go along with it that Cookson might flip out.
"Aaron was finding it hard to perform in Cookson's presence. I suggested we take it to the bedroom."
Under cross-examination, Smith outlined her offences that had led to a five-year jail term and her drug use of up to a gram of methamphetamine a week during part of the time she was in a relationship with Mr Carlino.
She denied she had been a willing participant in the sexual encounter with the two men.
"I didn't feel I could say no," she told the court.
Casuarina Prison inmate Wade Hopes told the court he drove Mr Cookson around before Mr Carlino was on the scene.
The pair met through a mutual friend, who suggested Mr Cookson would be a good boxing trainer for Mr Hopes.
They trained together every day until Mr Hopes decided Mr Cookson was bad news and started to reduce their contact.
Mr Hopes described Mr Cookson as someone who was wild and "had the gift of the gab".
"Steve scared the shit out of me," he said.
"There's not many people in a ring that could get one over me. Steve was different."
According to Mr Hopes, Mr Cookson controlled Mr Carlino.
He denied introducing evidence about Mr Cookson being stressed when he last saw him to help Mr Carlino, who is also an inmate at Casuarina Prison.
Mr Hopes told the court Mr Cookson was involved in hundreds of business ventures and was good at getting money out of people.
He said he learnt his name was on the lease of Teddington House brothel when he was sent a $50,000 bill after Mr Cookson died.
The trial continues.
