Beckett conversation 'stood out' to witness

Peter Beckett asked a friend if the area where his wife died was being filmed live by Google Earth.

Following the death of his wife, former Napier City councillor Peter Beckett asked a friend if Google Earth showed a live feed of every corner of the planet, specifically the area where his wife drowned, a court in Kelowna, Canada, heard yesterday.

Beckett was charged with first-degree murder one year after Laura Letts-Beckett drowned near Shelter Bay, south of Revelstoke, Canada in August 2010.

Following her death, Beckett stayed at Ron and Mary Hawkins' house, who were friends of the couple.

During that time, one conversation stood out to Ron.

"He did ask me what you can see on Google Earth," Ron said. "I started to show him some places in England where we go on holiday ... he said, 'what can you see at Shelter Bay?'
"He said, 'is it being recorded or filmed all the time, or is just a single shot?'"

Ron explained to Beckett that the satellite images shown on the program are taken once every several years. When asked how Beckett responded to this information, Ron said, "I think he felt comforted by that."

Ron's wife Mary testified that Letts-Beckett couldn't swim and was afraid of the water.
"She said she wouldn't ride in a boat without a life jacket," Mary said.

The night Letts-Beckett died, she was not wearing a life jacket, but a dry one was found in the Beckett's boat by police.

In a statement to police 10 months after the death, Mary said Beckett had told her that Letts-Beckett had taken off the life jacket because she was too hot.

Several days before the death, the Hawkins spent several days with Peter and Laura, taking a day trip to nearby Mica Dam.

"The visit had a different feel to it, nothing you can actually put your finger on, but it was different than the other visits we had," Mary said.

Peter Beckett grew up in Hawke's Bay and served a single term on the Napier City Council in 1998-2001 before moving to Canada and marrying Canadian woman Laura Letts-Beckett, who he met when he was running a tour business between Napier and Cape Kidnappers.

Laura Letts-Beckett was a teacher in the small Alberta town of Dapp, near Westlock.

The scheduled four-week murder trial is currently in its second week.