Emily Power and AAP
May 07, 2008 03:26pm
A DISGRUNTLED client shot dead his divorce lawyer after mailing
himself ammunition from Cambodia, a Supreme Court jury heard today.
John Thomas Glascott, 45, of Kealba, has pleaded not guilty to the
murder of solicitor David Robinson outside his Fairfield office in
2006.
The court heard Mr Glascott blamed Mr Robinson for losing his home in
a divorce settlement with his ex-wife.
Prosecutor Geoff Horgan, SC, said Mr Glascott's tension and anxiety
over his marital affairs were at the heart of the alleged murder.
"This and other issues had festered in his mind," Mr Horgan told the
jury.
He said Mr Glascott made two trips to Cambodia in February and May, in
2006, before Mr Robinson's death, allegedly to buy a gun and
ammunition.
On the first occasion customs searched his hand luggage and found a
notebook and internet pages relating to a Tokarev pistol, Mr Horgan
said.
The court was told Mr Glascott sent himself four envelopes from a
hotel in Phnom Penh in Cambodia, each containing a single live Tokarev
bullet, which were seized by customs in March.
Mr Horgan said seven bullets, made for a Tokarev gun, were found at
the scene of Mr Robinson's alleged murder.
Mr Robinson was killed by a single bullet after he investigated damage
and fire at his Station St law office about 8.30pm on July 10.
The jury heard he bled to death on grass near the Fairfield train
station before paramedics arrived. His skull had also been fractured.
Mr Horgan said a witness would give evidence he saw two men struggling
in the laneway behind Mr Robinson's office, followed by gunshots.
The court heard Mr Robinson, a long-time lawyer and friend of Mr
Glascott, had drawn up a divorce agreement and given evidence at Mr
Glascott's divorce hearing in 2000.
But a court overturned the agreement and awarded in favour of his ex-
wife, Tina, leading to the sale of their home.
Defence barrister Russell Sarah said Mr Glascott was not involved in
Mr Davidson's death, and identification was an issue in the case.
Mr Sarah said there was no evidence Mr Glascott confronted Mr Robinson
at the back of the office, as alleged by the prosecution.
The trial before Justice Philip Cummins continues.
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