A group of women accused of dousing a friend's home with petrol and threatening to burn her alive may have forgotten to bring a lighter, a court has heard.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Nyalat Matot, Kock-Kedhia Maker Makoi, Achan Matot, Biech Maker Makoi and Akim Dau faced the ACT Supreme Court for the second day of their judge-alone trial on Wednesday.
The five Sudanese women have pleaded not guilty to one count each of aggravated burglary, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, property damage, and threatening to kill.
The women are accused of breaking into a friend's unit in Hawker on June 22, 2020, in a reprisal attack where they allegedly poured petrol in the living room, assaulted her and smashed furniture.
The court previously heard Kock-Kedhia Maker Makoi's dog had died the night before, with the accused women blaming the alleged victim.
Prosecutor Trent Hickey had told the court on Tuesday that the alleged victim awoke to find Biech Maker Makoi punching her face, while Kock-Kedhia Maker Makoi hit her with a wine rack.
He said the alleged victim heard Kock-Kedhia Maker Makoi saying "I'm going to burn you alive".
In evidence on Wednesday, the alleged victim said the last thing she heard before the women left "was [Biech Maker Makoi] saying 'where is the lighter?'".
"I think they had forgotten the lighter," she said.
"If they had a lighter on them they would've lit me up in the house."
Questioned by defence barrister Alyn Doig, counsel for Biech Maker Makoi, the alleged victim rejected suggestions his client had not beat her, and had never threatened to kill her.
MORE COURT AND CRIME NEWS:
During cross-examination, barrister Stephen Robinson, counsel for Kock-Kedhia Maker Makoi, argued the woman was a "practised liar to police" and questioned her about a time in 2014 when she presented police with Kock-Kedhia Maker Makoi's ID instead of her own, after an altercation in Mooseheads.
On the stand, the alleged victim said: "I used her ID because I went clubbing with it, I didn't use her ID to get her in trouble".
Mr Robinson also quizzed the alleged victim about her injuries after the alleged crimes.
The woman agreed she had no fractures, no cuts on her face, no chipped teeth and had no MRI or CAT scans completed before she discharged herself from hospital.
In evidence, she told the court her face was "bruised and swollen" after the alleged attack.
The trial is set to continue on Thursday.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark canberratimes.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
