A MAN accused of murdering a woman in her St Saviour flat in 1990 confessed to the crime on two separate occasions, a close friend has told the Royal Court.
Rickie Tregaskis (52) is accused of murdering Barbara Griffin and attempting to murder her aunt, Emma Anton. He denies the charges.
During the third day of an Assize jury trial in the Royal Court, his friend Darren Hare said that Mr Tregaskis had admitted the attack when the pair were in La Moye prison together.
However, Mr Hare added that Mrs Griffin (59) may have been killed by mistake.
Mr Hare said he and Mr Tregaskis were ‘more than best friends – he was like a brother to me’ and that he had been serving a six-month sentence at La Moye prison in August 1990 when the defendant was remanded in custody there, a few days after being charged with murder and attempted murder.
Giving evidence, Mr Hare said: ‘I asked him, “What have you done, what happened?” He was vague. So I said, “Did you do it?” He said, “Yeah.”
‘I said, “You’re an idiot. You’re going to get lifed off for it”.’
Later Mr Hare returned to La Moye prison while Mr Tregaskis was still on remand.
He said: ‘The subject came up again, and I asked him why. I think he had a disliking for Mrs Griffin because he thought she had got him the sack from his job in a supermarket.
‘I think he believed Mrs Griffin’s auntie was Mrs Griffin. It was only when Mrs Griffin came into the room that he realised it wasn’t Mrs Griffin, and stabbed her.’
The aunt, Emma Anton (85), was stabbed repeatedly but survived the attack. Her niece, Mrs Griffin, was stabbed in the heart and died.
Advocate Rebecca Morley-Kirk, defending, mentioned that Mr Hare had formerly suffered from drug-induced psychosis which could cause hallucinations. But he said: ‘I didn’t start getting hallucinations until 1993.’
The advocate said: ‘Mr Tregaskis’s case is that he didn’t confess to you at all.’
Mr Hare replied: ‘Sorry ma’am, but he did.’
The court also heard from Trevor Chapman, who had given Mr Tregaskis a place to stay for a few weeks 30 years ago and would sometimes use drugs with him.
He said that while they were taking drugs one evening, the subject of the murder at Le Geyt estate arose.
Mr Chapman said: ‘Rickie said, “She came at me with a bat, so I stabbed her”. I was shocked.’
Another witness said that she had seen Mr Tregaskis was in the area of the attacks on the night in question.
Giving evidence by video link, the witness – who cannot be named – said she had seen Mr Tregaskis drinking in a St Helier pub in the afternoon, hours before the murder took place.
The witness said she knew Mr Tregaskis and saw him again in the early hours of the morning, walking near her home.
‘He was tall and had fair hair and I noticed it was Rickie. He had black trousers and a white top on. I could see them under the lamp. He was just walking along casually, like a normal person,’ the court was told.
She did not speak to him on either occasion.
Shortly afterwards, at around 2.10am, the witness said she went outside again and on this occasion spoke to him briefly.
The following afternoon, the witness said that she saw Mr Tregaskis again outside the café she worked at. She told the jury: ‘I said to him, “I saw you on the estate last night”. He just looked at me.’
Advocate Morley-Kirk questioned whether the witness was ‘quite sure’ she had seen Mr Tregaskis in the area the night before, to which the witness replied: ‘Yes, I spoke to him.’
The trial continues.
