One of the men accused of murdering Wollongong solicitor Katie Foreman had offered a prostitute money to bash her in the months before her death, a court has heard.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The prostitute told the court that Foreman's on-again, off-again boyfriend Bradley Max Rawlinson, 40, had offered her between $2000 and $3000 to assault Ms Foreman on one of her frequent nightly walks.
The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said Rawlinson started paying her for sex in 2009 and they became friends.
"He told me there was a woman in Corrimal who was a solicitor who was causing him problems in his business and personal life," she said.
"He asked if I would assault her on the walk she does in Wollongong, for some money ... I declined.
"He wanted me to put her in hospital pretty bad."
The woman said Rawlinson had told her Ms Foreman went for regular walks along the bicycle track near WIN Stadium, usually around 11pm.
"He told me she had blonde hair and was attractive," she said. "He was going to take me there when she went for her walk."
Rawlinson, from Woonona, along with western Sydney couple Bernard Justin Spicer, 31, and Michelle Sharon Proud, 28, from Eastern Creek, are on trial in the NSW Supreme Court in Wollongong accused of murdering Ms Foreman, 31.
She died when a fierce blaze ripped through her Corrimal home in the early hours of October 27, 2011.
Rawlinson's alleged lover, Wendy Evans, has already pleaded guilty to murder over her role in Ms Foreman's death.
Two of Evans's former work colleagues also gave evidence, telling the court how her relationship with Ms Foreman had soured over allegations the solicitor had slept with Evans's ex-boyfriend.
Former colleague Suzanne Van Kooten said Evans was "distraught" when she discovered Ms Foreman was sleeping with her ex-boyfriend, Scott Field.
"She thought they were the best of friends ... she felt very betrayed by it," she said.
Ms Van Kooten said Evans told her Ms Foreman was sleeping with several other people, including police prosecutors, police and solicitors.
The trial continues.