The lies Darren Ward Gale told to cover up the death of Noel Ingham were not evidence he was guilty of murder, defence lawyer Greg Richardson told the Burnie Supreme Court on Tuesday.
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In his closing statements of the six week trial, Mr Richardson again impressed upon the jury that Mr Gale did indeed lie to friends, neighbours and the police about his knowledge of Mr Ingham's July 2016 disappearance.
Mr Richardson again said those lies, as well as Mr Gale's admission that he cut Mr Ingham's head off, buried his body in a clandestine grave, killed Mr Ingham's dogs and destroyed his car, were the acts of a man panicking following the accidental death of his housemate.
"They are all pieces of evidence that he's trying to hide the death of Noel Ingham," Mr Richardson said.
"They are not pieces of evidence showing that he caused the death of Noel Ingham."
Mr Gale previously told the court Mr Ingham died when he collapsed into a fish tank in the living room of the West Ulverstone unit the two men shared.
His death followed immediately after the two men had a drunken altercation which left Mr Ingham with a minor head wound from the handle of an axe they tussled with, Mr Gale said in evidence.
Mr Gale said he then left the room and walked down the hallway of the unit, when he heard Mr Ingham collapse into the fish tank and then found him dead or dying from a second larger head injury.
Crown prosecutor Jackie Hartnett has refuted this version of events, and in cross examination asserted that the injuries to Mr Ingham's body, including a broken hand and stab wounds to the back, were consistent with an incident where Mr Gale attacked Mr Ingham.
However, as Mr Ingham's head has never been found, no cause of death has been established and the evidence presented to the jury has been entirely circumstantial.
Ms Hartnett has asserted Mr Gale decapitated Mr Ingham after death and hid the head to destroy evidence of injuries he could not explain and which were not consistent with accidental death.
During his closing statement Mr Richardson said the Crown had not presented any direct evidence to support this theory.
"Their entire case is based on the proposition that you can assume Darren Gale killed Noel Ingham based on what he did after the fact," Mr Richardson said.
They are not pieces of evidence showing that he caused the death of Noel Ingham.
- Defence lawyer Greg Richardson
"But as I said to you forty days ago [during opening statements], the prosecution have no idea what happened."
Mr Richardson told jurors Crown prosecutors have not proved Mr Gale's guilt.
Following legal direction the jury is expected to deliver a verdict later this week.
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