Murder accused, victim both P addicts

Campbell Paterson's dismembered body was found in a chilly bin in November 2014.

Campbell Paterson and the man accused of murdering him were both addicted to ice or methamphetamine, a court has been told.

The Napier man's dismembered body was found in a large chilly bin in bushland about 15km southeast of Cairns, in November 2014. He had not been reported missing but police became concerned after Mr Paterson failed to appear in court twice. He was facing charges of driving under the influence of methamphetamine and serious assault on a police officer.

David Leslie Hickson, 32, is on trial in the Cairns Supreme Court. He has admitted to interfering with a corpse but pleaded not guilty to murder.

David Leslie Hickson, 32, accused of murdering Campbell Paterson.

Hickson's girlfriend at the time, Elizabeth Addo, told the court that both men were addicted to ice, the Cairns Post reported. She had been in a bedroom at Hickson's Edmonton home when Mr Paterson was allegedly murdered. She later helped clean up blood.

She said there was blood in the lounge, up the walls, in the hallway, on the kitchen table and in the bathroom.

The Cairns Post reported that her cousin Johnathan Addo gave evidence that Hickson threatened his life with a gun if he did not give him a lift to dump the body. The court has heard that Hickson admitted to police that he had killed Mr Paterson and did so in self-defence.