The jury in the manslaughter trial of Woonona resident Valmai 'Jane' Birch watched video recordings of police interviews with her boyfriend and accused killer David Bagster where he denies ever having tied up or assaulted Ms Birch.
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Bagster, 55, is on trial at Wollongong District Court charged with the manslaughter of Ms Birch.
Bagster, when interviewed by police in May 2011, six weeks after Ms Birch's body was found, said any suggestion he had tied up Ms Birch was untrue, as she would have "freaked out" if she was tied up.
With witnesses reporting Ms Birch had visible signs of physical abuse in the year prior to her death, including having a pair of tracksuit pants tied around her neck choking her, Bagster said these came from her clients while she was working as a sex worker.
"I'd say a lot of those bits would have been through clients that she's had that's marked, bruised or damaged her," Bagster said.
Bagster said Ms Birch told friends he had assaulted her because she didn't want her friends to know she was working as a prostitute.
When questioned by police, Bagster said Ms Birch never directly told him clients had abused her, and instead he was putting two and two together based on what he saw and was told by others.
The police interview also revealed further information about Bagster and Ms Birch's relationship.
The pair were both heavy drug users, with Bagster saying he regularly smoked cannabis and would use 'crystal,' or methamphetamine, once a fortnight. In the months leading up to her death Ms Birch had a significant heroin habit, using most days, which frayed their relationship, Bagster said.
"When she's smashed she's just in complete oblivion," Bagster said. "Anyone can pick her up and do whatever. I'd have a bit of crystal here and there and I thought it'd be good for sex and we'd have a good time, but when she used to eat boxes of pills and shoot this stuff up she'd just lay there."
Bagster said Ms Birch's drug taking would render her uncontrollable.
"When she was off her chops, she would do what she wanted to do, there was no arguing, you'd let her go and pick up the pieces."
Bagster said Ms Birch's drug taking was partly in response to working as a prostitute, and she used drugs to "switch off".
Bagster also said the couple had saved between $4000 and $5000 in $1 and $2 coins in cans above the fridge to go towards their childrens' birthdays. In his interview with police, Bagster became emotional retelling this and said this was the one amount of money Ms Birch would not touch or use to purchase drugs.
The trial continues.
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