Accused murderer Bradley Scott Purkiss encouraged his partner to leave the house while he met with his friend Dwayne Robert Davies on the night Mr Davies went missing, the Supreme Court has heard.
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Mr Purkiss' former partner, Jillian Roberts, told the court she was not given the option to stay home while Mr Purkiss met with Mr Davies.
"I was quite frustrated that he insisted I leave, I wanted to go to bed," Ms Roberts said.
Ms Roberts said Mr Purkiss was going to speak with Mr Davies about the frequency of his visits to their residence which was causing a strain on Ms Roberts and Mr Purkiss' relationship.
Ms Roberts owned the Elderslie property where she and Mr Purkiss lived for the year before Mr Davies' death.
The court heard at one point Mr Davies was visiting Ms Robert's house so often there was a 12 day streak where he came every day.
"I made it clear to Brad that I wasn't comfortable," Ms Roberts said.
"I didn't like the fact, if I had a day off, Dwayne was in my home.
"There was the possibility Dwayne may get a little aggressive and Mr Purkiss suggested I not be there for my protection."
Mr Purkiss was the last person to see Mr Davies alive before his body was found in a shallow grave on a Levendale property just over a week after he disappeared on May 26, 2017.
Mr Purkiss is co-accused with Mr Davies' wife, Margaret Anne Otto, for his murder.
The Crown alleges Mr Purkiss lured Mr Davies to the Elderslie property to kill him as part of an agreement to commit the crime with Ms Otto.
Ms Roberts told the court on Thursday she had been wanting to end her relationship with Mr Purkiss for six to eight months prior.
"I'd been concerned about his behaviour for a very long time prior to that event," she said.
"I was frightened."
Ms Roberts said as of May 2017 only a small part of her had hope she and Mr Purkiss would be able to salvage their relationship.
On the night Mr Davies disappeared, Ms Purkiss told the court upon Mr Purkiss' recommendation she left the Elderslie property and went to McDonalds in Bridgewater and took time to return home, stopping twice to work on her tablet in her car.
She told the court while leaving she sarcastically told Mr Purkiss "let me know when I can return to my own home."
Ms Roberts received a text from Mr Purkiss just before 9pm which said "(Davies is) leaving now. Crying. All the bull***t under the sun. Told me he'd kill himself on the way home. Got a shock when I said you'd be doing everyone around you a favour."
When she returned home Ms Roberts said Mr Purkiss and Mr Davies were not at the property.
The Crown alleges Mr Purkiss had already killed Mr Davies and at the time Mr Roberts returned home and his body was hidden in one of the sheds on the property.
Mr Purkiss' defence asked what Ms Roberts would have done if she had found Mr Davies' body on her property that evening.
"I would phone the police if I found anyone deceased," she said.
"I would do the right thing and report the crime."