A Tasmanian man accused of beating a carnival worker to death at a Far North Queensland show, shaved his head and left the stage that night has heard.
Main points:
- The court heard Nathaniel Wailu was drunk and head-butted a woman before using a hammer on the accused’s girlfriend and running off “into the darkness”.
- The court heard Kyam Keith Broadby and another man chased Mr Wailu and witnesses heard the words “keep your hands off my wife” shouted at them
- Mr Broadby’s defense lawyer asked the court to keep an open mind during the trial
Kyam Keith Broadby, 25, is on trial for manslaughter in connection with the death of Nathaniel Wailu, who was found unconscious at Mareeba Show, west of Cairns, in July 2019.
The High Court in Cairns heard Wailu, 35, was taken to Townsville Hospital but died five days later from severe head injuries.
In his opening address to the jury, Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane said the carnival worker from Townsville was “effectively beaten to death” by Mr Broadby, with whom he worked “side by side in the entertainment industry”, deciding heavy trips.
He said the alleged victim was found on the doorstep of a caravan inside the exhibition.
“[Mr Wailu] was under [caravan] annex, just outside the door of an independent camper who was enjoying the Mareeba show,” Crane said.
“The police found him there – they saw he had a bloody face, a bloody nose and there was blood coming from his mouth.
“What caused his death were injuries that the police could not see … severe facial fractures.”
‘Keep your hands off my wife’
Crane told the court that Wailu had had a lot to drink and was drunk when he head-butted a show worker and later “swung a hammer around”, threatening the accused’s girlfriend, show worker Dekoda Bell-Pickett.
He said Wailu was “killed in the dark” and chased by Mr Broadby and another man.
He said witnesses heard a man “with an Australian accent yelling ‘Keep your hands off my wife.’
Mr Crane said Mr Broadby asked a friend to shave his head and left the scene for the night.
Broadby’s barrister Martin Longhurst told the court his client was not the only person present that night and said there were no witnesses to the alleged attack.
“Keep an open mind,” he told the court.
The trial is expected to last up to seven days and will hear from more than 30 witnesses, including show staff, people who attend Mareeba shows, a pathologist, a radiologist and a neuropathologist.