Lundy trial: Bodies found on date debt was due

Details of Mark Lundy's financial difficulties were revealed in the High Court at Wellington today. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Key evidence through the day:
• Lundy's kitchen sink distribution business was in a constant debt of about $100,000
• About a week before her death, Christine Lundy said she did not have confidence in the vineyard venture
• Lundy told the company owner he planned to use insurance money to help pay off the debt
• Shares in a vineyard venture were not selling as Lundy had hoped
• A potential major investor pulled out of the deal a week before the murders

A man who helped to arrange the sale of vineyard land to Mark Lundy says the final date given to Lundy to pay was August 30, 2000 - the day the bodies of his wife and daughter were found dead in their home.

Details of the Lundy family finances continued to be revealed in the High Court at Wellington today.

The 56-year-old is on trial for the murders of his wife Christine and 7-year-old daughter Amber, who were found bludgeoned to death.

Michael Porter had helped arrange the sale of two pieces of land west of Hastings, but Lundy kept missing settlement deadlines.

In July 2000, Mr Porter said he called Lundy to give him a deadline of August 30, by which time the interest penalty would have reached about $100,000.

"He was fairly quick to say that if we [pulled out of the deal], he would be bankrupt."

Two days before the deadline, Lundy told Mr Porter an investor was getting the money together for him.

Nearly a month after the murders, police asked Mr Porter to tape phone conversations with Lundy. Two conversations were taped, but only the second conversation was audible.

That conversation was played to the court.

In it, Lundy told Mr Porter he believed the motive of the killings was a burglary because some of his wife's expensive jewellery had disappeared.

Meanwhile, accountant David Hopping, who worked at the firm used by Lundy, told the court Lundy had had a stress attack about finances a couple of weeks before his wife and daughter were slain in their home.

Mr Hopping said Lundy's finances were "a little bit strained".

A few weeks before Mrs Lundy and Amber were killed, Mrs Lundy told Mr Hopping her husband had suffered a "stress" attack about their finances.

But he said Lundy had told him an investor was willing to invest half a million pounds in his vineyard venture.

Nothing ever eventuated from the investor, he said.

"It all came to a standstill once Christine and Amber were killed."

Under cross examination, Mr Hopping said if the vineyard business was successful, it would have brought the couple financial independence.

A statement was also read to the court by one business partner, who's name was suppressed, about the venture.

He said the venture involved offering shares and mortgage bonds in the vineyard to members of the public.

In April 2000, the sale of the property went unconditional, however, hold-ups with paying for the property ended up leaving Lundy with $90,000 owed in interest, the man said.

About six weeks before the deaths of Mrs Lundy and Amber, Lundy told the man shares were not selling as well as anticipated and he discussed pulling the plug on the deal.

A family friend of the man, who's name was also suppressed, expressed interest in buying half of the property, but about a week before the murders, changed her mind, the man said.

The man said he spoke at length with Lundy about the venture the day before Mrs Lundy and Amber were found dead and said he "seemed fine".

But the following day when he called him, Lundy was distressed and crying because he had been told there were police outside his home and he had heard of a suspicious death.

Lundy told the man he was speeding back to Palmerston North and driving about 150km/h.

Later that day the man called Lundy who said he was at the police station and his wife and child were dead.

"He seemed in shock."

The man said he was interviewed by police who told him they suspected the man of being involved in the murders by cleaning up the scene, which the man denied.

A friend of Lundy and chartered accountant Ross Hadwin also gave evidence today.
He said initially he thought the scheme was sound.

He told the court Lundy had not planned on putting any of his own money into the venture, because he did not have much money.

However, he said if the deal had gone sour, he could have lost his house.

Earlier today the court was told Lundy and his wife's distribution company was in debt by about $100,000 to its mother company.

One company director Robert McLachlan told the court that after the murders Lundy had said he would use some of the insurance payout he was expecting to help pay the debt.

His wife, Dianne McLachlan, told the court that about a week before her death, Mrs Lundy did not think the vineyard venture would go ahead.