Accused ‘gone from hotel about ¾hr’

Press, 10 July 1987, Page 10

Accused ‘gone from hotel about ¾hr’

A woman told the High Court yesterday that she was more anxious about going on a “pub crawl” which had been arranged than timing the absence of a man — who has been charged with murder — from the Sandridge Hotel but she estimated that he had been gone for about three-quarters of an hour. It was during this time that the Crown alleges that Ernest James Brown, aged 46, unemployed, murdered Robert William McTague in his Mr Tack unholstery shop in High Street early in the evening of Friday, July 11, 1986. Mr McTague’s battered, stabbed and mutilated body was found on the workroom floor at the back of the shop. A large pair of upholsterer’s scissors was embedded deeply in the chest. The Crown says that it was a vengence killing by Brown because he thought that Mr McTague had not paid him enough for the work he had done for him and had evicted him from the flat above the shop. The defence case is not

expected to open until next week. Messrs David Saunders and Mark Zarifeh appear for the Crown. Brown, who has pleaded not guilty, is represented by Messrs Philip Hall and Andrew Mclntosh.

The trial began on Monday.

Rebecca Mameora Pokere, aged 31, unemployed, said that she had known Brown for a long time and met him in Cathedral Square on July 11. He was with Louise Allen. They all took a taxi to the Sydenham Post Office where Brown withdrew $3OO, and then they booked into a unit at the Sandridge Motel before going to the Club Hotel.

When the taxi-driver arrived with Brown’s bags they went back to the Sandridge Hotel where she continued drinking. The only incident she could remember was a fight between “two guys” in the bar but the police were not called. She played the video game machines as she was drinking. At one stage Brown left the hotel to buy groceries.

When he returned he was wearing different clothes and was a lot tidier than he had been previously. His hair was wet and it looked as if it had been combed, Mrs Pokere said. She and Louise Allen were sitting by the fire. She noticed that Brown appeared to be upset. Earlier, he had looked as if he was in “a pretty good mood.”

On his return he appeared to be down in the dumps. They discussed returning to the motel and all having a shower together and who was going to scrub whose back.

As they were going to the unit they called at the bottle store and bought a dozen of beer, other liquor, and soft drinks.

Mrs Pokere said that she had a shower. She noticed that it had not been used. When she dressed and returned to the lounge Louise Allen warned her not to cut herself as the bottle of rum had been smashed.

Louise tidied up the mess and then she and Brown went for a shower.

Louise came out of the shower with a towel wrapped round her. Brown was naked. She was waiting for them, as they were all going on a pub crawl but the other two got into bed. “I was sitting on the single bed waiting for them and watching television ... I ended up climbing into bed because I thought there was no chance of going out oh a pub crawl,” Mrs Pokere said.

Her next recollection was of being awakaned by Louise Allen and she and Brown were dressed. They had a meal of Ken-, tucky fried chicken. She went back to sleep. On the Saturday morning she got up and went straight over to the bar. she did not' talk much to Brown. There were two men she did not know in the unit when she returned. At first she thought she had gone to the wrong one but then heard Brown’s voice.

Later that day she, Louise Allen, and Brown went to the Central Police Station. On the previous evening Brown had been

away for 15 to 20 minutes when he got the groceries and on the second occasion for about three-quar-ters of an hour. To Mr Hall, Mrs Pokere said that her estimates of time were very vague because she did not have a watch and her memory played up on her. When Brown went to get the groceries she did not see him leave or return. Asked how long it would take to walk from

the motel units to the Sandridge Hotel, Mrs Pokere said that it would depend on how thirsty a person was. If she was thirsty she would “get over there pretty quick.” Mrs Pokere denied that Brown could have been away for less than threequarters of an hour the second time he left the hotel. She was in a bad mood because she had wanted to go on the pub crawl.