A resident at a public housing block in Mangerton has described repeatedly hearing her neighbour aggressively demand money from a homeless man in the months before he was found dead in early 2015.
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Mark Jenkin, 46, is accused of murdering Mark Dower, 56, as part of a prolonged pattern of strong-arming residents of the Crana Place complex for money.
The Crown alleges Mr Dower, a former English teacher in Finland, was targeted because he received regular superannuation and pension payments from both the Finnish and Australian governments.
It is alleged Jenkin held Mr Dower against his will for several days in mid-March and beat him so badly he eventually died. Jenkin then allegedly intimidated a female into helping him dispose of Mr Dower’s body, which was found inside a shared laundry at the unit complex on April 16.
In the NSW Supreme Court on Monday, a female resident of the complex recalled hearing multiple conversations between the two men in which Jenkin pressured Mr Dower about money.
“One particular [conversation] that really got my attention was that he [Jenkin] needed money and would pay Dower back when his back-pay came through from his time in jail,” the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court.
“I remember thinking I didn’t know Centrelink still paid you money when you were in prison.”
The woman, who described Mr Dower and “a gentle man and a gentleman”, said Jenkin became aggressive when Mr Dower said no.
“I didn’t see any violence between them but I heard plenty. I didn’t see Jenkin touch him but I could hear the anger in his voice.”
The trial continues.