Survivor tells of tragic error on day of RSA killings

The sole survivor of the RSA killings realised her tragic mistake when she unlocked the doors for murder accused William Bell, the High Court at Auckland heard yesterday.

Susan Couch, the club's part-time accountant, opened the door for William Bell after recognising him from a stint of work experience he did there. But she was surprised to see him wearing a blue police shirt and carrying a guitar case.

Continuing his opening address yesterday, Crown Solicitor Simon Moore said Bell then pulled a shotgun from the case.

He marched Ms Couch and cleaner Mary Hobson into the office and made Ms Couch start emptying the safe, at one point saying to them, "You'll know it was me, won't you".

Bell, 24, and Darnell Tupe, 23, are accused of Ms Couch's attempted murder and the murder of Mrs Hobson, club stalwart Wayne Johnson and its then-president Bill Absolum during the robbery of the Mt Wellington RSA on December 8 last year.

Each victim suffered massive head wounds, which the Crown says were probably caused by a blunt wooden instrument.

The jury was yesterday taken on a tour of the RSA, which was cordoned off and surrounded by police.

Justice Judith Potter did not allow the media inside.

Earlier, Mr Moore had told the court that Ms Couch, who has made a recovery from her injuries and will give evidence, could remember some details of what happened inside the RSA

They included Bell locking her, Mrs Hobson and Mr Johnson into the club's bond store, where Mrs Hobson was kneeling on the floor crying and praying and Bell was laughing.

Mr Moore said she could also remember the shotgun going off, which would have been the blast from point-blank range that killed Mr Johnson. She later heard Bell say, "He tried to be a hero."

"She can also remember seeing Bill Absolum lying on the floor but cannot remember why," said Mr Moore.

He told the court of a "spending spree" Bell went on after the killings, buying a fancy car stereo system for his car and getting his windows tinted.

Mr Moore said he was kept under police surveillance before his arrest and was photographed reading the Herald's front page coverage of the killings, which had a headline that read: "Four bludgeoned for $12,000."

The newspaper was later found in the boot of Bell's car.

The court was also told of various admissions Bell and Tupe had made to police and prison officers about their involvement.

Mr Moore said Bell had told "three different stories in three months".

He said that in a videotaped interview with police, Tupe described how they picked up Bell, still dressed in the police shirt, from the Manukau shopping centre where he had a shopping trolley shortly after the robbery.

Tupe said Bell told him: "We're going to go down for this. We're going to go down big time - I've just killed three people."

The Crown case is that Tupe waited in the car while Bell was inside the RSA but deserted him.

It alleges that the guitar cases and plastic crate in the trolley Bell was pushing held the shotgun and money and cigarettes taken during the robbery, and that he escaped from the RSA in Susan Couch's car.

The first of 153 witnesses is to be called by the Crown today.