18 May 2011

Accused and victim had spiralling addictions, court told

10:30 pm on 18 May 2011

The only eyewitness to a fatal hammer attack on a sleeping man says the victim and alleged ringleader of the killing had rapidly deteriorating addictions to methamphetamine.

The Crown says Dean Browne was murdered by Mikhail Pandey-Johnson, Rhys Fournier and Karl Nuku as he slept in his Wellington flat in January last year.

It alleges Mr Pandey-Johnson and Mr Browne, 38, fell out over a $5000 drug debt.

Prosecutors say Mr Pandey-Johnson, 24, led his co-accused in a gang he created, the Killer Clown Fiends.

The Crown witness, whose identity is suppressed, was also a member and says they all used and sold drugs, mostly methamphetamine, also known as 'P', and ecstasy.

On Wednesday the witness told the New Plymouth High Court that in January 2010 she worried about Mr Pandey-Johnson's increasing anger and was afraid of Mr Browne's more aggressive moods.

She says tensions rose when Mr Browne gave money to buy drugs for dealing, but they instead fed the addictions of the Killer Clown Fiends.