A SLAUGHTERHOUSE worker who used his butcher knives to stab a colleague 49 times in a unit at Scone in 2018 later told his step-father and police "I stabbed him because he tried to rape me", a jury has heard.
Abattoir worker Jamie Cust, now 22, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Filipino national Jesus Bebita, 41, his "mentor" at JBS Meatworks, and on Wednesday faced the first day of a trial in Newcastle Supreme Court.
Mr Cust, his barrister Paul Rosser, QC, told the jury, does not deny inflicting the nearly 50 stab wounds in a "frenzied" attack, but claims he was operating under "extreme provocation", a partial defence that, if not eliminated beyond reasonable doubt by the prosecution, would reduce Mr Cust's criminal liability from murder to manslaughter.
Mr Cust and Mr Bebita were friends and colleagues at the abattoir at Scone and met up on the night of December 17, 2018 to drink alcohol at Mr Bebita's unit in Parker Street, Scone.
But by 4.14am, when Mr Cust called his step-father to pick him up, Mr Bebita had been stabbed 49 times, including 12 wounds to his back and a large laceration from his right ear to his left chest.
Mr Bebita's body was found in a pool of blood in the bathroom of his unit, Crown prosecutor Brendan Queenan told a jury during his opening address on Wednesday.
Mr Cust was picked up from Scone by his step-father and on the drive back to Muswellbrook allegedly told him: "I stabbed him because he tried to rape me."
His step-father encouraged him to go to the police and Mr Cust repeatedly replied: "I can't. I don't want to go to jail."
"I stabbed him because he tried to rape me," Mr Cust allegedly repeated. "I think he is dead. "I woke up, my pants were down and he was rubbing his d--- on me."
Mr Cust had a shower and put his bloodstained clothes into a plastic bag before he went to Muswellbrook police station and told the officer at the counter: "I killed someone who tried to rape me."
Police went to the unit in Parker Street and found Mr Bebita's body.
They also discovered that one of the bloodstained bedrooms had been set on fire.
Mr Queenan said that later that night, while having a cigarette and speaking to a police officer, Mr Cust asked the officer "do you think I am a bad person?"
The police officer replied: "You have murdered someone mate it doesn't get any worse."
Mr Cust then allegedly made a stabbing motion with his hand and said: "I just stabbed him and it took ages for him to die."
The trial continues.
