Drowning accused 'made up bike tale'

A teenager accused of the drowning murder of two Thai sex workers said yesterday his confession to police was a lie.

Ben William McLean, 19, told the Northern Territory Supreme Court he had nothing to do with the women's murders.

McLean and friend Phu Ngoc Trinh are standing trial charged with the murder of 58-year-old Phuangsri Kroksamrang and 27-year-old Somjai Insamnan.

The floating bodies of the two women were found by crocodile-spotting tour guides in the Adelaide River, southeast of Darwin, in March last year.

Shortly after he was arrested, McLean told police the pair killed the women because he was in trouble with the Hell's Angels over a speed debt and was repaying a ``favour'' to the gang.

On the witness stand yesterday, McLean said the story was untrue, and he made up many details in his police interview.

``I have never been in trouble with the Hell's Angels,'' McLean said.

McLean said Trinh had asked him to tell the Hell's Angels story when they met up with his friends in Brisbane, where the pair travelled to after the alleged murders, and he had repeated it to the police.

``It was a story that myself and Phu had told to his friends that the police had just seen prior to us being arrested,'' he said.

McLean said he knew some details of the alleged murders because Trinh had given him some information.

On one occasion, Trinh and McLean were driving across the Adelaide River bridge after the alleged murders and Trinh slowed down and indicated where the younger woman had been thrown off, McLean told the court.

McLean said he added his own made-up details to the story told to police, including that the women were not struggling when they went over the bridge.

``I made it up, I don't know particularly why I made that up,'' he said.

``I didn't get told that they struggled.''

The trial continues. .

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Tue, 8th March 2005
Source: Northern Territory News (Australia)
Author: Karen Michelmore
Contact: ntnmail@ntn.newsltd.com.au
Website: http://ntnews.news.com.au/
Copyright: 2005 Northern Territory News