Two brothers accused of murdering a business associate over a perceived debt of about $300,000 were allegedly framed by a gang of violent Estonian men, a Perth court has heard. Ambrose John Clarke, 54, and Xavier Gerard Clarke, 52, are on trial in the West Australian Supreme Court charged with murdering 51-year-old Peter Davis, whose body was found in the boot of his vehicle at the Great Eastern Motor Lodge on May 31, 2011. The father-of-four was allegedly lured to an address in Malaga the day before and killed after intimidation and attempts to recover the money through an unlicensed debt collector failed. Prosecutor Paul Usher argued Mr Davis was bashed and suffered a "fatal cardiac event". But Xavier Clarke's defence counsel Jonathan Davies told the jury in his opening address on Friday that police and prosecutors got it "dead wrong" and had built a case around speculation and supposition. He said his client had no history of violence and did not know Mr Davis, whose heart was "like a bomb waiting to go off". Mr Davies blamed the assault on an Estonian gang, who he described as "standover men" known for violence and intimidation, who were also kickboxing and martial arts champions. He said the Estonians, who had previously worked for Ambrose Clarke on a casual basis, had their own financial reason to confront Mr Davis. Mr Davies said detectives had tunnel vision too early in the investigation. "There are two sides to every story," he said. "This case is a complicated jigsaw puzzle." Ambrose Clarke's defence counsel Shane Brennan said "innocent secondary DNA transfer" explained much of the prosecution's DNA evidence. Mr Brennan said it defied reason that if his client was the murderer he would be so stupid to put incredibly incriminating items, including a page from Mr Davis' diary, in his unlocked filing cabinet. "He would be the dopiest murderer that ever lived," Mr Brennan said. He said the items were planted there by the true perpetrators to frame Clarke. The trial continues. Australian Associated Press
Peter Davis' body was found in the boot of his vehicle in Perth's eastern suburbs in May 2011.
Two brothers accused of murdering a business associate over a perceived debt of about $300,000 were allegedly framed by a gang of violent Estonian men, a Perth court has heard.
Ambrose John Clarke, 54, and Xavier Gerard Clarke, 52, are on trial in the West Australian Supreme Court charged with murdering 51-year-old Peter Davis, whose body was found in the boot of his vehicle at the Great Eastern Motor Lodge on May 31, 2011.
The father-of-four was allegedly lured to an address in Malaga the day before and killed after intimidation and attempts to recover the money through an unlicensed debt collector failed.
Prosecutor Paul Usher argued Mr Davis was bashed and suffered a "fatal cardiac event".
But Xavier Clarke's defence counsel Jonathan Davies told the jury in his opening address on Friday that police and prosecutors got it "dead wrong" and had built a case around speculation and supposition.
He said his client had no history of violence and did not know Mr Davis, whose heart was "like a bomb waiting to go off".
Mr Davies blamed the assault on an Estonian gang, who he described as "standover men" known for violence and intimidation, who were also kickboxing and martial arts champions.
He said the Estonians, who had previously worked for Ambrose Clarke on a casual basis, had their own financial reason to confront Mr Davis.
Mr Davies said detectives had tunnel vision too early in the investigation.
"There are two sides to every story," he said.
"This case is a complicated jigsaw puzzle."
Ambrose Clarke's defence counsel Shane Brennan said "innocent secondary DNA transfer" explained much of the prosecution's DNA evidence.
Mr Brennan said it defied reason that if his client was the murderer he would be so stupid to put incredibly incriminating items, including a page from Mr Davis' diary, in his unlocked filing cabinet.
"He would be the dopiest murderer that ever lived," Mr Brennan said.
He said the items were planted there by the true perpetrators to frame Clarke.
