Death crash accused seemed drunk, court told

Tony Worrell. Photo / Greg Bowker

A man accused of deliberately driving his car at speed into other vehicles, killing a young woman, seemed to be "really drunk" that night, a court was told today.

Tony Worrell, 49, of West Auckland suburb Swanson, is on trial in the High Court at Auckland charged with murder, causing grievous bodily harm, and four charges of attempted intentional damage.

Katie Powles, 26, died when Worrell's car struck her vehicle in Karaka, South Auckland, on June 3. Another man, Brett Robinson, was also seriously injured.

Sheryll Standford, who was working at a Caltex petrol station on the Drury-Pukekohe road where Worrell pulled up that evening, gave evidence today.

"He said he needed somewhere to sleep. He asked where there was a disco or a pub, but I told him he was probably better off going to Pukekohe," she said.

"He asked for $50 of petrol. I told him he could use pump seven. He pulled up to pump three.

"We were quite certain he was really drunk. He'd left his credit card on the counter so I wrote his name down.

"He asked me how he would go south. He said south, as in Nelson. I gave him directions to the southern motorway.

"I told police these details so they could intercept him before he got to the motorway. But unfortunately, he took a different route."

Ms Standford said Worrell's speech was very slurred and he didn't seem totally coordinated. She could smell alcohol.

A jury of seven women and five men heard opening statements from Crown and defence yesterday.

Crown prosecutor Kirsten Gray told the jury Worrell was driving on the wrong side of the road, and his blood alcohol level was at least twice the legal driving limit.

Before his car had hit Ms Powles' vehicle, he had already driven into four other vehicles, Ms Gray said.

"He had wanted to end his own life. He was no stranger to attempts at suicide," Ms Gray said.

But Matthew Goodwin, defending Worrell, said he did not deliberately drive at vehicles to attempt suicide.

"He did not have suicide on his mind that night," he said.

Mr Goodwin advised the jury to consider how alcohol would have affected Worrell's judgement when driving that day.

The trial is expected to last three weeks.

- NZPA