Taranaki farm worker murder: Jodie Hughes on trial for the murder of Jacob Ramsay

A young stay-at-home-mum has been accused of becoming so infuriated her partner’s colleague had not repaid the $150 he owed them, she encouraged a harrowing beating that ended with him being chained to the back of a car and dragged for almost 1km along a gravel track.

Jodie Shannon Hughes allegedly stood back and smiled as her partner, William Candy, and Ethan Webster bashed their fellow farm worker, Jacob Mills Ramsay.

“Don’t f****** stop them”, the Crown claim she said while shoving a person who tried to bring the attack to an end.

An unconscious Ramsay, 33, was then chained to the back of a car by his ankle and driven by Candy and Webster down a tanker track.

His body was dumped into a rubbish pit on the Oaonui, South Taranaki, dairy farm at which they all worked and lived in separate farmhouses. Ramsay was found dead two days later.

Hughes, 31, was charged with the July 29, 2022, murder alongside Candy, 39, and Webster, 19.

The men have admitted to killing the father of three and were sentenced to life imprisonment in March.

On Monday, Hughes’ trial began in the High Court at New Plymouth before Justice Matthew Palmer and a jury.

Jacob Ramsay was killed by his co-workers, William Candy and Ethan Webster.

When the charges she faced were put to her, she quietly admitted to kidnapping Ramsay and to a count of burglary of his home.

More powerfully, however, she maintained her previously entered not-guilty pleas to wounding him with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) and to murder.

In her opening address, Crown prosecutor Rebekah Hicklin said while Hughes did not physically harm Ramsay, she was allegedly “very much” involved in Candy’s violence towards him, making her a party to the GBH and murder.

But defence lawyer Tiffany Cooper, KC, said Hughes had no idea the beating meted out by the men would progress to the deadly level that it did.

The Crown’s case was that on the day of Ramsay’s death, Hughes, a mother of two, was “angry”.

Ramsay owed her and others money, and he had failed to pay up.

Hicklin said Ramsay was not perfect. He had issues with drugs, alcohol, and money and was somewhat unreliable in showing up to work.

But while his co-workers had complained about his absences and accused him of stealing petrol, generally they all got along.

Around mid-July, Candy reluctantly loaned Ramsay money.

Two weeks on, Hughes was frustrated the money had not been repaid and at Candy’s failure to do anything about it.

She decided to take matters into her own hands, Hicklin alleged.

Hughes broke into Ramsay’s home and stole his TV before allegedly texting Candy calling on him to help get their money back.

Webster (left) and Candy admitted the murder of Ramsay and were sentenced in March. Photo / Tara Shaskey

Later that day, Candy got wind of Ramsay being in Oakura, about a 30-minute drive from the farm.

Hughes drove him there for the purpose of giving him a hiding, the Crown alleged, and the pair located him at the local cemetery.

Candy launched an attack on Ramsay which drew concern from a member of the public who approached and told him to “stop”.

Hughes allegedly told the person, “This guy’s a druggie, he has stolen from us and ruined our farm.”

“He’s coming back to the farm to pay for what he’s done,” she is said to have added.

Shortly after, Candy forced Ramsay into Hughes’ car and she drove them back to the Kina Rd farm while Candy continued to assault him.

He was no longer resisting the beating and was leaning against the passenger door in a semi-conscious state.

About 7.15pm, they pulled up at the farm where Webster was awaiting their arrival.

Ramsay was now unconscious. Candy shoved his body from the car and on to the ground.

Webster grabbed Ramsay by the throat and delivered a number of blows to his head, only stopping when he thought he had broken his hand.

At one point, a witness grabbed Webster and tried to stop him. Hughes intervened by pushing the witness and telling him, “Let them f****** do this, don’t f****** stop them”, Hicklin alleged.

Webster went on to stomp on Ramsay’s head while Candy delivered kicks to the same area. The attack lasted around 10 minutes.

“Throughout this, the defendant [Hughes], the Crown says, stood nearby smiling,” Hicklin alleged.

Candy then grabbed the chain and tied Ramsay to the car.

Hicklin said witnesses described Hughes, who had gone into the home of another farm worker as the tanker track drive took place, as both “aggressive” and “upset” after the attack.

In Cooper’s opening, she told the jury more context would be provided throughout the trial on the charges Hughes had admitted.

On the alleged GBH offending, she claimed Hughes was unaware Candy would assault Ramsay in the way he did.

She did not participate in the wounding nor did she encourage or assist Candy to carry out the attack, Cooper said.

“Ms Hughes understood the purpose of going to the cemetery that night was to bring Mr Ramsay back to the farm - and this is the kidnapping charge she has pleaded guilty to.

“However, she had no idea of the things that would unfold at Kina Rd that night.”

The jury would need to determine which of the assaults were a substantial and operative cause of Ramsay’s death and who was responsible, Cooper said.

“The defence says it’s not nearly as clear cut as the Crown has suggested.”

Ramsay sustained a host of injuries, including numerous fractures and abrasions to his entire back and buttocks. An autopsy determined he died as a result of multiple blunt-force injuries.

No one who knew about the attack checked on Ramsay after his body was dumped and he was found dead by his employer two days later.

Ramsay’s wife, Sarah Tasker, was only weeks away from giving birth to their second child at the time of his death.

Olliver was born in September last year and the couple also share son Hunter, 5. Ramsay was the stepfather of Tasker’s oldest son, Lucus, 11.

The trial is set down for two weeks during which the Crown plan to call 29 witnesses.

Tara Shaskey joined NZME in 2022 as a news director and Open Justice reporter. She has been a reporter since 2014 and previously worked at Stuff where she covered crime and justice, arts and entertainment, and Māori issues.