Victim a 'substantial' P seller

Paul Doyle

A man shot dead with his partner under the Wairoa River Bridge near Tauranga last year was "a substantial seller of methamphetamine," a court heard yesterday.

The information was revealed by the lawyer for the Rotorua truck driver accused of murdering Michael (Mikaere) Douglas O'Sullivan and Toni-Anne Nathan during a depositions hearing at the Tauranga District Court.

Anthony Paul Doyle, 40, pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the Te Puna couple early on October 31 through his lawyer, Paul Mabey, QC. Mr Mabey conceded there was a prima facie case to answer and Doyle was committed for trial at the Rotorua High Court.

He said he would challenge some of the evidence presented by the prosecution at trial, but it was not disputed that Mr O'Sullivan was a P dealer.

P also emerged as a factor in Doyle's life in oral evidence given by two witnesses, the first of whom met Doyle about two months before the murder.

Taratoa Taratoa said he had only tried P once or twice before he met Doyle, whom he knew as Willy, but subsequently began buying $100 "point" bags from him.

The two had "sitdowns", or sessions using the drug, during which Doyle injected himself.

Mr Taratoa, 31, and the second witness, Emma Louise Lewis, both saw Doyle a few hours after the murder, which police said happened at 2.46am.

During separate questioning by crown prosecutor Greg Hollister-Jones, they said he came to Ms Lewis' house in Rotorua about 7.30am and seemed high on P and in a hurry.

Ms Lewis, who is a 21-year-old former prostitute whose clients included Mr Taratoa and Doyle, also said Doyle supplied her with P.

She had saved his cellphone number under "Bad E" after he gave her an ecstasy tablet that made her sick as part of a payment for sex.

She had sex with Doyle in the garage in Konene St where he lived and was arrested on November 6.

During cross-examination, Mr Mabey asked Ms Lewis why she had said that Mr Taratoa came to her house about midnight on October 31, but had told police 2.30 to 3am.

"When the police were interviewing me, I had been awake for three days and whatever time they suggested to me, I was quite happy to agree to while I fell asleep in my coffee," she replied.

She talked about, Mr Taratoa and Doyle being "frittered" and "fried" by the effects of methamphetamine, which had seen her indulging her passion for gardening at daybreak on October 31.

"Being fried made me garden all hours of the day and night," she said.

The rest of the evidence from witnesses was in written form.

Fifty-seven statements and nine exhibits were handed up to the court, the exhibits including shotgun wadding and a set of electronic scales.

Community magistrate Robyn Paterson suppressed some of the written statements at Mr Mabey's request.

He said the evidence contained in them would be the subject of pre-trial objections and therefore should not be seen by media.

Media applications to view the other written evidence were refused.

Doyle sat near his lawyer while the witnesses gave evidence. Flanked by two prison officers, he showed little emotion other than bowing his head when Ms Lewis was asked whether she had provided him with sexual services.

Family members of the murdered couple were in the public gallery.

The depositions had been set down for two days, but lasted only half a day.

Doyle was further remanded in custody until a callover at the high court on June 22.

A trial date has yet to be set.