David Bain could not explain 111 'they're all dead' call, court told

David Bain listening to evidence at his murder retrial. Pool photo

Police asked David Bain soon after five of his family were murdered why he had said in his 111 call "Help they're all dead" when he had only seen two of the bodies.

In Bain's statement to the police, read out in the High Court at Christchurch by Detective Sergeant Gregory Dunne today, he said he did his paper round at 5.45am and when he got home went into his room and put his gear away.

He went downstairs and put the washing on, then washed his hands to get rid of the printer's ink on them.

When he re-entered his bedroom he turned on the light and noticed rifle cartridges on the floor. His cupboard was open and shells under his shoes had been moved.

He ran to his mother's bedroom saying, "Mum, what's going on?" and said she had her eyes open but didn't respond.

She was white and had blood all over her head and on her face.

He ran into the lounge and saw his father lying on the floor. He was grey-white with blood on his temple.

He said he did not know why he went into the lounge. There had been no hesitation - he just went in there, he told the police.

He dialled 111 and took the telephone into his bedroom to talk to the police. He was still in there when the police and ambulance arrived.

He said he didn't go into any other family members' rooms.

When asked why he said "they're all dead" in his 111 call he couldn't explain it and said he had only seen his mother and father.

The prosecution says Bain shot dead his parents and three siblings at their Dunedin home on June 20, 1994, but the defence says it was his father Robin who killed his family before shooting himself.

'Asserting authority'

Earlier, Bain told police soon after the killings that his father had recently been asserting his authority, according to the police statement.

Bain told police "things were very tense at home" prior to the 1994 killings.

He said his father, Robin Bain, was living in the campervan at the back of the house at weekends.

Bain gave the statement to police on the morning that Robin Bain and four other of his family members were found dead in their home.

Mr Dunne said Bain - then a 22-year-old student - told police that his parents were "basically" split up.

"It was a case of Mum not wanting the marriage/partnership any longer and him not wanting to give up the family," Bain told police.

He said he had an argument with his father the night before the killings about a chainsaw that he wanted to use.

"Last night I said I wanted the chainsaw, he tried to beat me down," Bain said.

He went on to say of his father: "He was asserting his authority, his right to rule the roost".

The statement also includes details of how Bain said he found his mother and father dead.

Mr Dunne said he was told by Bain that after looking in his Mother's room, he had: "pulled back the curtain and called her. I said: Mum, what is going on?"

Later Mr Dunne said Bain told police: "I saw blood all over her head, on her face; it seemed to just go everywhere".

"I ran out calling my father and ran into the lounge, I don't know why," Bain said.

He said he found his father and "saw blood on his temple, that's when I went to call police".

- with NZPA