A woman who saw a man struck to the head with a golf club says the attacker “threatened to kill” him earlier in the day.
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Amy Evans told a jury on Friday that she called triple-zero after seeing Jamie Alexander Collins hit Christian Mark Whiteman in the head outside of the Park Hotel at Invermay in 2015.
The two men were part of the same social club and had been drinking and playing golf with other members prior to the incident. Mr Collins has pleaded not guilty to intentionally causing bodily harm and is on trial in the Launceston Supreme Court.
Ms Evans cried in court as she described the moment she saw Mr Whiteman fall to the ground.
“I saw Christian lying there, his eyes were blue, he wasn’t moving, he was bleeding from the head,” she said.
“I raced outside and called triple-zero.”
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Defence lawyer Greg Richardson questioned Ms Evans’ memory, suggesting her story had changed since she had seen CCTV footage from the day.
Mr Richardson pointed out a number of differences in what she had told police and what she told the jury, including whether or not she saw Mr Collins following the attack.
She initially stated she had been focused on Mr Whiteman, but went on to tell the court she did in fact see Mr Collins walk behind the bus and across the road after he hit the alleged victim.
Crown prosecutor John Ranson then asked Ms Evans if the accused said anything when he walked away – she replied “told you I’d [expletive] kill you”.
The incident left Mr Whiteman unconscious and he was taken by ambulance to the Launceston General Hospital before being transferred to the Royal Hobart Hospital for urgent brain surgery.
The court has already heard Mr Whiteman suffered an “extremely severe brain injury”, which saw him spend 11 days in the intensive care unit. The jury heard evidence from him on Friday.
He said he does not remember the attack but remembers waking up in the hospital in Hobart.
He said the golf day was “a bit of a blur” and he could remember Mr Collins being at the event but could not remember any physical or verbal disputes between them.
Mr Richardson questioned Mr Whiteman about his relationship with the accused, asking if he remembered the first time they met.
“When you first met Jamie … did you threaten to smash his head into a fire,” Mr Richardson said.
“I can’t recall that,” Mr Whiteman replied.
The court heard Mr Whiteman had “lost a lot” of his memory and now struggled to read and write.
The trial before Justice Michael Brett continues.
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Melissa Mobbs
A journalist with more than a decade of experience, Melissa Mobbs currently works as the Deputy Editor for The Examiner Newspaper in Launceston, and has a strong background in reporting on crime and the justice system. Send tips to Melissa.Mobbs@examiner.com.au or on Twitter via @melissamobbs.
A journalist with more than a decade of experience, Melissa Mobbs currently works as the Deputy Editor for The Examiner Newspaper in Launceston, and has a strong background in reporting on crime and the justice system. Send tips to Melissa.Mobbs@examiner.com.au or on Twitter via @melissamobbs.
