May 07, 2013

Inmate tells murder trial of threat to kill

By David Clarkson. Nikki Roper murder trial, Day 2.?A prison inmate told of Nikki Roper threatening to kill his ?missus? on the day he was released from prison, eight days before his ex-girlfriend was found dead.

The inmate at Christchurch Men?s Prison was granted name suppression when he gave evidence on the second day of the trial of 24-year-old Roper for the murder of 21-year-old Alexsis Maria Tovizi in December 2010.

The inmate said he had been at the receiving office at the prison on the day of Roper?s release. He told him: ?Take care. Look after your missus. Don?t come back.?

Roper replied that she had gone off with someone else. ?I?ll kill the bitch,? he said. He was referred to a statement he made to the police that Roper said: ?I?ll be back for the big one.?

?I told him not to be an idiot,? the inmate said.

Cross-examined by Roper?s defence counsel, Simon Shamy, the inmate acknowledged that he had a large number of dishonesty convictions and had been serving sentences since about 1968.

He accepted that a prison officer would have been nearby when Roper made the comment. He denied that he hoped to get parole as a result of making his statement to the police.

Roper?s trial is in its second day before Justice Forrest Miller and a jury in the High Court at Christchurch. Roper denies charges of murdering Miss Tovizi, unlawfully taking her car, stealing her laptop computer, and five charges of dishonestly using her bank card. The trial is expected to continue for two weeks.