Girl in tears after 'chat-up'

By Alison Horwood and Eugene Bingham

WELLINGTON - A teenage girl locked herself in the toilets and sobbed after Scott Watson tried to chat her up early on New Year's Day 1998.

Christchurch student Hannah Joy Fox told the Watson double-murder trial that a combination of alcohol and unwelcome advances from a strange man had upset her.

She identified the man in two police montages of photographs as the accused, 28-year-old Watson.

He denies killing Blenheim friends Olivia Hope and Ben Smart, and his trial in the High Court at Wellington is now in its sixth week.

Hannah Fox said she made several trips to the main bar at Furneaux Lodge to get drinks from 12.30 am, and noticed one man who stood out.

"He was confident, quite loud," she said. "He was right near the bar the whole time, and came across as being really sleazy."

On about her fourth trip to the bar, about 4 am, he said something to her like, "how's it going, love?" and asked whether the pendant on her necklace unscrewed.

After chatting for a while, she said, she felt uneasy and trapped.

The bar was packed and to get away from the man she would have had to push past him - "something I didn't want to do."

Finally, she went to the toilet, locked herself in and fell asleep.

"I was drunk and upset and wanted to get away and have some time by myself," she said.

She identified Watson from two police montages of photos, but said that on New Year's Eve he had longer hair, and more stubble.

Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Bruce Davidson, she said she was fairly drunk but "not legless."

"But, to put it bluntly, you flaked out in the toilet," said Mr Davidson.

She agreed she was shown the full-body montage of photographs first, and Watson was the only person in them with tattoos on his forearms.

Another witness, off-duty police officer Lance Rumbett Rairi, told the court by video link from Western Australia that a man resembling Watson became aggressive when he stepped in to save two female friends from his advances.

Before midnight, he was in the main bar when he noticed his friend Annie Kernick looking annoyed in the company of a strange male.

"I stood beside him to make my presence known," he said.

"He carried on talking to Annie, and at that stage I moved in between the two of them."

He chatted to the man for a while but when he made it known they wanted him to move away, he became agitated and aggressive.

Mr Rairi said the man said, "I wouldn't want to speak to your friends anyway."

He identified the man as Watson in a police montage, but admitted in cross-examination from Mr Davidson that a second man in the montage also looked similar.

Another witness said Watson continued "hassling" women after being sworn at and told to leave them alone on the jetty at Furneaux.

Janine Ruth Morrison, who gave evidence by video link from London, said Watson reeked of alcohol when he became suggestive towards women in the group she was with.

"At first they were friendly towards him," she said, "but then he became annoying and more suggestive. He was in our personal space, if you like, he was rude."

Watson was told to go away, but he did not leave.

Eventually, security guards spoke to Watson and moved him away from their group.

Miss Morrison said she had recognised Watson from television film as the man who was hassling them.

Under cross-examination from Mr Davidson, she admitted she had been confused about what Watson was wearing.

In her initial police statement, she said he was wearing a forest green T-shirt. It was not until she was shown a photograph taken on the jetty that she remembered he was wearing a blue shirt.

Asked to explain her confusion, she said somebody else she knew had that T-shirt on.

Miss Morrison agreed there were many drunk people at Furneaux that night, and many "sleazy" men trying to pick up women.