Emma Field's body was found after a fire ripped through her New Plymouth flat in 2022. Her partner Leigh Matthew Frederick Beer (inset) is on trial for her alleged murder and arson.
WARNING: Some readers may find the details of this story distressing
One of the last people to see a woman alive before she was killed in a fire allegedly lit by her partner says the murder-accused was angry and disrespecting the victim in the hours before her death.
But it was not just the night of the fatal fire that Leigh Matthew Frederick Beer had disrespected Emma Field, according to witness Qwintin Tuari.
It happened on “several occasions” he told the High Court at New Plymouth, before stating Field appeared “conditioned to it”.
On the evening of May 27, 2022, Tuari and his partner Te Oke Taylor were at Beer and Field’s New Plymouth flat where the four of them listened to music, drank alcohol and shared an ecstasy pill.
They planned to head into town together but that never eventuated. Instead, Field went to bed after being subjected to derogatory comments about her body from Beer in front of their friends.
On Thursday, while under cross-examination from defence lawyer Julian Hannam, Tuari said there was “more” disrespect shown by Beer towards Field that night than just put-downs, but didn’t elaborate.
Relying on other evidence, Hannam said Beer was “a bit of a goofball in the relationship” and suggested he had just been kidding around with Field.
But Tuari was resolute Beer’s remarks were not a joke.
Hannam suggested Beer and Field were in a happy relationship and pointed to other testimony saying so.
“If that’s happy, well I don’t know, not my happy,” Tuari responded.
“Of course, people are going to show you their cover when they’re around people. Behind closed doors, who knows.”
When Taylor gave evidence, she spoke about how Beer had made her feel uncomfortable on the night of the fire.
He repeatedly kissed her on the cheek and hugged her, to the point she had to ask Tuari to tell him to stop, but he continued.
Taylor admitted she did not consider Beer’s contact to be sexual and Beer and Field seemed to be happy together.
After Field went to bed, Taylor, Tuari and Beer talked in the kitchen.
Tuari and Taylor both said in evidence that Beer was in an angry mood at that stage and told them he was going to commit suicide.
Without warning, he then punched a glass panel in his front door, smashing it and cutting his hand.
Tuari, who has known Beer for about 12 years and described him as “a bit of an out there fella sometimes”, said the night started well but Beer turned into a “buzz kill”.
Tuari and Taylor decided to leave after the window was broken window and as they did, two others, Tuari’s brother Jackson Tuari and Katrina Dennis, arrived.
The four made a plan to head off together but Beer also wanted to go and followed them to Dennis’ car.
Once the four were in the vehicle, they drove off and left Beer on the footpath.
Tuari said they did this because of how Beer had been behaving and because he was dripping blood everywhere.
To questions from the defence, Taylor accepted Beer’s anger seemed to have dissipated by the time they left, but said in her earlier evidence she walked to the car ahead of Beer with a sense of urgency to leave.
Within hours, Field’s unrecognisable remains were discovered on her bedroom floor with her bed and mattress flipped, partly on top of her, and completely torched.
The 21-year-old died in the Devon St West flat she shared with Beer after a fire tore through their home.
Field was alive but likely unconscious when the blaze took hold.
The Crown has alleged Beer, in a fit of anger, overturned the bed she was asleep on, set fire to it, and “left her to burn to death”.
The 33-year-old is defending charges of murder, arson, and injuring with intent to injure in a trial that began earlier this week.
Beer has maintained he did not overturn the bed or set fire to it, and Hannam has told the jury on his client’s behalf it was possible someone else was responsible for the tragedy.
When cross-examining Taylor, Hannam said police suggested there was someone at the property around the time of the fire who was wearing Mongrel Mob clothing.
Hannam questioned her about a link one of her family members had to the gang. He asked if she knew a Mongrel Mob member was staying at the Braemar Motor Inn, an emergency housing provider that bordered the property, at the time she was there, to which she said no.
While questioning Tuari, Hannam asked him if he had returned to the flat to use the bathroom after they had walked towards Dennis’ car, leaving him trailing behind the group.
Tuari rejected the suggestion, stating they got in the car and left.
Later in the day, Jackson Tuari gave evidence and under cross-examination he was also asked whether his brother had returned to the flat.
“Wake up. He didn’t go back inside the house. We shot off to town,” he said.
Taylor, Dennis and the Tuari brothers were all adamant they did not find out about the fire or Field’s death for almost a week after the event.
Hannam pressed them on how that was possible given the media coverage of it and that it was being discussed on social media and within the community.
The trial continues.
Tara Shaskey joined NZME in 2022 as a news director and Open Justice reporter. She has been a reporter since 2014 and previously worked at Stuff covering crime and justice, arts and entertainment, and Māori issues.
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