Hit-and-run accused 'smelled like petrol', court told

Christopher Shadrock is accused of driving the car that hit Joanne Wang. Photo / Natalie Slade

Murder accused Christopher Shadrock reacted angrily when asked by a friend if he was the one behind the hit-and-run death of businesswoman Joanne Wang, a court has heard.

Shadrock, 23, is on trial for the 2008 murder of Ms Wang. He has pleaded not guilty.

A statement from Chanele Ashford was read to a High Court jury in Auckland that described her meeting with Shadrock hours after the Crown alleges he hit Mrs Wang in the Manukau mall car park on June 16, 2008.

The 39-year-old Mrs Wang had been shopping and doing banking with her 8-year-old son when it is alleged Shadrock snatched a bag containing a large sum of cash away from her. She chased him to try and retrieve it but was struck by the 4WD as it left the car park.

Shadrock came into Ms Ashford's Otara house through a backdoor and she asked him if it was him who hit "that lady".

He is alleged to have replied: "Don't f****n talk about it like a suspect....Otherwise other f****n people will on the street will start talking about it."

She had seen him earlier that day doing a wheel stand in the street outside her house in a white 4WD, a stolen car which prosecutors say is the one that struck Mrs Wang.

Ms Ashford, the sister of Shadrock's co-accused Terence Tere and girlfriend of another co-accused Mateni Lynch, said she recognised the 4WD "straight away" when she saw it that night on the television news. She went to her room after her exchange with Shadrock because she was annoyed by the way he answered her questions.

Later she left the house to spend the night at Lynch's where she told him of her suspicions that Shadrock was the driver.

"I said 'hon, I think Chris hit that lady."

Two days later she saw Tere, Lynch, Lionel Manaaki Tekanawa and Vila Lemanu leave her house, but she didn't know where they were going. Half an hour later she saw the police chopper flying overhead and heard fire engine sirens.

Tere and Lynch returned home and Tere "smelled like petrol". They both seemed weary and quieter than normal.

Tekanawa, Lemanu, Mateni Lynch, 20, and Terence Tere, 22, are accused of being accessories after the fact to murder for allegedly burning the Nissan Regulus used in the hit-and-run.

Lemanu, Maka Tuikolovatu, and Tekanawa, are charged with stealing Mrs Wang's handbag.

Tuikolovatu is also charged with helping Shadrock avoid arrest by hiding the handbag and being an accessory after the fact to murder.