Missing man told murder accused's ex-partner he'd do anything for her

Michael McGrath told his murder accused's ex-partner he'd do anything for her, bar rob a bank, two months before he disappeared.

It's the fifth day of the murder trial of prison guard David Benbow, accused of killing his high school friend when he discovered McGrath was in a romantic relationship with his ex-partner Joanna Green.

Today, Green gave evidence, shielded by a screen so she couldn't see the accused and father of her two daughters.

The defence claims she pointed the finger at Benbow from the outset when McGrath went missing in May 2017, and from that moment on police have had tunnel vision in their investigation into a murder where there is no body, no weapon and no DNA.

However, it's the Crown case that Benbow lured his friend to their Candys Rd home where the CCTV cameras had been turned off, to help him with a job, shot him with his firearm which has since gone missing, and hid his body.

Green, who works as a teacher aide, told the jury she was engaged to Benbow, but they had never formally married.

She said she felt when Benbow decided to change careers and become a corrections officer it would be good for their family.

"David was very negative in his work, he was very negative in his work... he was a very, very good worker but he complained a lot and he would bring home his negativity."

She also gave evidence that the accused was very controlling with money.

"Our family came second to money, our family came second to work, our family came second to many things, we should have come first," she said.

"I asked my father to come with me and explained how I felt, but he [Benbow] dismissed my comments...he said it was trivial, but I didn't think it was trivial the things I had in my mind," she said regarding raising the idea of separating in February 2017.

She told the court he brought other friends in to convince her to stay.

"There was an intervention, a stick passed around, people could talk, but I'd already made up my mind, people didn't see what was going on behind the scenes.

"He did bring up that I hadn't tried hard enough and we should make it work...I tried my hardest I was very unhappy, very unfulfilled in the relationship. I was drinking a lot and I admit to that, that was my crutch, or vice, something I used....to help me relax."

She said McGrath visited her on her birthday.

"I said I just couldn't do it anymore. I just burst into tears. It was too toxic. He stood up to go and he kissed me on the forehead and he said 'I think a lot of you' and I said 'I think a lot of you too'.

The next day she told Benbow "I can't do it anymore". She told him she wanted him to move out, but he refused.

He went to see McGrath with his daughters, and she asked him not to mention the break-up in front of the girls.

He said "I'll f***ing talk about what I want to talk about". He'd asked McGrath to finish something on the deck, but McGrath refused saying he didn't want to get in the middle of it. Benbow was "furious".

Green was speaking to McGrath most days, he was her support person, she said

He told her: "I've seen what you've had to put up with, you're loyal to Dave."

Benbow talked to McGrath about the situation too, saying: "She's f***ing fat and she can't cook."

When Green left Benbow on March 3, 2017, McGrath helped her move her furniture, and stored some of her belongings in his house.

He said to her: "I'd do anything for you, bar rob a bank". She rang the police that day, because she didn't know what he would do.

"I wanted to register the fact that the relationship was toxic," Green said in court today.

She said her relationship with McGrath changed once she moved out.

"I'd always adored him and respected him and now I had the chance to get the icing on the cake...he was just such a good man. I asked him if he would teach me how to kiss and be touched because I trusted him that much."

She said McGrath told her: "You could be my soulmate, who knows, I've fancied you for years...but you're just so f***ing loyal to him."

She said there was no overlap with her relationship with Benbow.

Crying as she spoke, she said: "I wish he was still here."

She said they would be intimate about once a week, but the girls never knew anything about it.

"We didn't want to hurt anyone, we didn't want to hurt Dave."

However, her daughter saw them kiss one day in the lounge of her rental, and told Benbow about it. He rang Green's sister Toni to ask about it, but she denied anything was happening. After that she says he put $10,000 into her bank account and started being "really nice to me".

A week later she received a hand delivered letter from Benbow.

It said: "Jo you have fantastic qualities...I still love you. I'm not travelling too well at the moment...feeling very lonely and lost. I need to re-evaluate and become a better man. I apologise for the way it ended, all the best Dave."

Green says the letter made her feel concern for him.

"The letter is not him, he appeared very low and I was worried about him," she said.

Green is the 17th of 135 Crown witnesses in the murder trial which is expected to run for seven weeks.