A DISGRACED former police detective used his investigative skills to reveal an accused Ballarat axe murderer's alleged plans to murder prosecution witnesses while the pair where on remand together last year, a jury has heard.
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The former detective, who was discharged from Victoria Police in 2005 and later convicted of hundreds of criminal charges, was allegedly asked by Darren Wilson, of Ballarat, to murder key prosecution witnesses set to give evidence against Wilson in his Supreme Court murder trial.
The former detective said Wilson, who is charged with the murder of Scarsdale teenager Timothy O'Brien, 14, initially made him read over statements, obsessively asking if they were damaging to his case.
Giving evidence in the Supreme Court on Monday, the former detective said Wilson then allegedly asked him to kill two key witnesses, with an understanding that he could carry out the crimes if granted bail.
EARLIER IN THE TRIAL:
The witness told the jury he had no intention of acting out Wilson's alleged plans, but told Wilson he'd do it, with the accused allegedly promising an $80,000 payment.
"He said that being an ex-detective that I would know about forensics," he told the jury.
"I think he said something along the lines of 'you're a smart man, you can do it and get away with it'."
The former detective told the jury how he set Wilson up, careful not to "divulge secret police methods" while gathering evidence which investigators could, and did, use against Wilson.
"I was trying to gather evidence at that stage, so I thought it would be helpful to investigators if it was in his handwriting," the witness said of a note which he made Wilson write about the $80,000 payment.
He told the jury how he never opened an envelope Wilson allegedly gave him with the photograph of a witness inside it, instead saving it for investigators.
"I thought it might be useful to the investigator if he was to open it with gloves on," he said.
Wilson is charged with four counts of inciting others to murder witnesses.
The witness said Wilson allegedly told him he wanted one particular witness shot before suggesting a "hot shot" of heroin which would kill her and appear like "death, not murder".
Timothy O'Brien's body was found at a Scarsdale house on the morning of January 5 last year.
The jury has heard Wilson and a 16-year-old girl living at the house devised a plan to lure Timothy's stepfather, Peter Williams, to the house and bash him.
Mr Williams and Wilson are cousins and the jury has heard their relationship had soured in the weeks leading up to Timothy's death.
Mr Williams was jumped by Wilson when he arrived at the Scarsdale house in the early hours of January 5.
Timothy used a baseball bat to defend his stepfather before he was allegedly chased out of the house by another man who allegedly used the blunt side of an axe to hit Timothy repeatedly in the head.
Wilson is accused of then grabbing the axe, turning it to its bladed side, and continuing to strike Timothy.
The trial before Justice Betty King continues.