Tue 11 Oct 2011 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Denis Phillips 4.00PM: The teenager who introduced gay Papakura man Denis Phillips to the youth who fatally stabbed him says that in the month prior to his death, Phillips took him back to his house, gave him alcohol and hit on him. The 18-year-has given evidence for the Crown on the second day of the trial of his friend Willie John Ahsee, 17, who is accused of murdering Phillips when he fatally stabbed the police jailer in his home in July last year. The witness, who cannot be named, told the court he was 16 when he first met Phillips, saying the man approached him when he was relaxing on a seat on the street outside Papakura's Coyote Bar early one afternoon last June. "He approached me with a couple of questions," the teenager told the court, recalling Phillips asked him if he worked out because he was wearing a singlet, and also whether he drank, before inviting him to his house for 'a couple of drinks' and ultimately driving the teenager to his Green St home. "He was polite really. He asked me if I'd like to drink straight away or work out. He told me that I'd be safe around there, I believed him," he said. The witness told the court they worked out in Phillips' home-gym in a converted garage for two hours before they 'had a bit of a drink' while sitting at the kitchen table eating chips and biscuits Phillips gave him. Under cross examination he said they drank from a bottle of red wine and a bottle of Kristov and chatted about each other's personalities. He said about an hour and a half into the drinking session Phillips hit on him. "He put his hand on my thigh slowly pulling back with his hand on my thigh. I [asked] him if he was gay, he didn't say much." The witness said Phillips stroked his leg for about two seconds until he told him he wasn't gay. "He told me 'it's all good' and didn't force or nothing, just slowly backed off and said it was alright. I didn't get offended so I stayed doing what we were doing. He stopped hitting on me and we just carried on talking." They talked for about three hours and the teenager recalled he was feeling pretty drunk and believed Phillips was drunk too. They listened to music and did another workout, "I was getting sleepy" he told the court. "He told me to make me a bed … he kept telling me to stay, I didn't want to stay and said I would walk home." The witness said Phillips gave him $10 for a taxi but he walked home. After that meeting the teenager said he would see Phillips in town and say hello. He said their only other meeting was when he went over to Phillips' house from a nearby rugby ground where he was watching a game. The witness said he was with his friend, Ahsee, and the pair wanted money for a drink so he went to Phillips’ house and Phillips gave him a dollar. It was during this meeting the witness said he introduced Phillips and Ahsee, after which Phillips told him privately that he only wanted him around and not anyone else. "He was a bit afraid he’d get robbed or something," the teenager told the court. "That was the last time I saw Denis that day." Under cross-examination from defence counsel David Jones QC the witness said having a drink with Phillips appealed to him upon their first meeting and he was impressed by the man’s home-gym. When asked, "Were you being given these drinks by Mr Phillips?" he responded "Yes". He also stated there were gaps in his memory about the night due to his alcohol intake. The trial continues at the High Court in Auckland. GayNZ.com's in-court coverage will continue throughout each day of the trial.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 11th October 2011 - 3:56pm