Bag snatch trial: No murderous intent - defence

Christopher Shadrock. File photo / Natalie Slade

Chris Shadrock never meant to kill the woman he ran down in a stolen 4WD shortly after snatching her handbag, a court has heard.

The 25-year-old has denied murdering Jian "Joanne'' Wang in the carpark of the Westfield mall in Manukau, Auckland in June 2008 and is facing trial at the High Court at Auckland.

In the opening address of the defence case, Shadrock's lawyer Chris Wilkinson-Smith told jurors his client did not have murderous intent when he drove away from Mrs Wang.

And he said witnesses would tell the court it was not the impact of the 4WD hitting Mrs Wang that caused her fatal injuries.

Mr Wilkinson-Smith said those injuries were caused when Mrs Wang's head collided with the concrete carpark surface.

"It all does come down to the simple issue - can the Crown prove that Mr Shadrock knew his actions could kill Mrs Wang?''

He said the defence would be calling their own crash investigator as well as an expert on CCTV footage.

The Crown says Shadrock had options when he left the Westfield carpark but chose to run down Mrs Wang in a desperate attempt to get away with her bag.

The Crown also says Shadrock was helped by friends in the days after Mrs Wang's death.

In his opening address four weeks ago, Crown prosecutor Kevin Glubb said Shadrock's friend Maka Tuikolovatu tried to help him by hiding the handbag.

Three others - Vila Lemanu, Lionel Tekanawa and Terence Tere - have denied setting fire to the stolen 4WD.

All four have pleaded not guilty to being an accessory after the fact to murder. The trial continues.