Australians kill friend for attempt to rape

SYDNEY - Two Australian men stabbed a friend to death after they found out he had tried to rape a partner of one of the men, a court heard Tuesday.

Raymond John Green, 38, and his childhood best-friend, Jeremy David Cockram, 35, stabbed Tim “Fritz” Everington, 48, numerous times, including in the back and head, at a remote fishing spot along the Serpentine river, in Mandurah, 70 km from Perth, just after midnight May 3, 2009, the court heard.

The two men were drinking with their partners in the Mandurah suburb of Greenfields when they told the women they were going out.

Green only intended to “rough up” Everington after hearing he had tried to sexually assault Cockram’s partner. Cockram had said, “I want to f*** this c*** up, let’s go and let’s take him for a drive”, the defence counsel told the jury.

It was Cockram who had taken a knife and started stabbing Everington in the van the three went driving, the WA Today reported.

Green wasn’t even aware Everington was being stabbed since it was too dark. It was only after Everington stumbled out of the car yelling “what the f*** do you think you’re doing” and seeing Cockram stab him again that Green knew about the knife, counsel told the court.

At that point, Green took the knife and washed it in the river but on seeing Everington trying to get back up he worried that he might be going to retaliate, so “he stabbed Everington twice in the back”, he said.

Cockram then grabbed the knife and stabbed Everington in the throat, he said.

A mine worker who found Everington’s body next morning told the court that Everington had a “black-handled knife, straight out of the top of his head”.

Green initially lied to police and denied going to the fishing spot. Five days later, however, in a recorded police interview, he told the truth, counsel said.

Cockram pleaded guilty before the start of the trial.