The man accused of murdering Hayley Dodd was "not particularly eager" to call police when a friend told him 18 years ago the teenager had disappeared in the area he lived, a Perth court has been told.
Catherine Edwards and her boyfriend stayed with Francis John Wark on the two nights before he is alleged to have lured the 17-year-old into his ute and murdered her on July 29, 1999.
Ms Edwards told his Supreme Court trial she and her boyfriend left Mr Wark's property to return to Perth on the day Hayley was allegedly murdered, but she did not see the teenager along the way.
She said Mr Wark had also been due to travel to Perth to stay with them that night, but she received a phone call saying he had been involved in an accident and was in hospital.
Ms Edwards told the court after Mr Wark was discharged he stayed with them for a few days.
She testified when she heard on the radio about a girl missing from Badgingarra she suggested to her boyfriend and Mr Wark they should call the police because they would want to know about everyone who was in the area.
Ms Edwards said neither Mr Wark nor her boyfriend "were particularly eager" to contact police.
"I think it was a fairly typical 'let's not get involved attitude'," she said.
However she said Mr Wark eventually agreed, and she believed he had contacted Crime Stoppers.
Mr Wark is alleged to have lured Ms Dodd into his ute about 11:40am, before murdering her and disposing of her body by about 1:40pm.
He denies having anything to do with her disappearance.
