A close friend of Susan Burdett has told the High Court in Auckland how Ms Burdett confided in her that she was seeing a man called Mike as the trial of Malcolm Rewa for Ms Burdett's murder continues today.
Winsome Ansty, a witness for the defence, said that Ms Burdett had told her that he was a Māori man, gang affiliated, married with kids and she met him at ten-pin bowling.
Ms Burdett was killed in her home in Papatoetoe, Auckland in 1992 and Rewa is on trial accused of her murder.
It's the third time Rewa has been on trial, accused of Ms Burdett's murder.
Ms Ansty says Ms Burdett went out with Mike on a yacht owned by gang members and drugs were taken.
She cannot remember Mike’s surname.
Ms Ansty concedes that she told the police two years ago that she thought the surname was Rewa but now she says she cannot remember the name.
Under cross examination, Ms Ansty says her memory was "triggered" by a media report about Malcolm Rewa but didn’t come forward to Police until 2017. But she wouldn’t accept the Crown’s assertion that her memory was unreliable.
The court has already heard the Malcolm Rewa went by another name, Mike Rewa, in the 90s.
But yesterday Rewa told the court he had never been to ten-pin bowling and never went out on a yacht with Susan Burdett.
And the court has already heard evidence from a man, who played bowls with Ms Burdett and had a brief relationship with her, that they had been on a yacht together shortly before her death.
The defence has closed its case this morning and the trial is adjourned until tomorrow when the Crown and defence will give closing addresses.
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