A friend of a Swansea woman on trial for murder gave evidence in the Launceston Supreme Court that she heard a rumour of a threat to members of the Jordan family after the death of Shane Barker.
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Erin Sweeney gave evidence in the trial of Cedric Harper Jordan, 71, and Noelene June Jordan, 68, who have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Shane Geoffrey Barker on August 2, 2009.
Ms Sweeney said she rang Mrs Jordan on August 6, 2009, saying she was concerned for the safety of Mrs Jordan's daughter Rachel who lived on a remote farm.
She said she heard a rumour of a threat from a family with the surname Triffett. Ms Sweeney said she did not know where she heard the rumour from.
The jury has heard that Mrs Jordan lied in an August 10 statutory declaration about her whereabouts on August 2 because of fears of the Triffett family. She changed her story saying the couple had driven to KFC in Launceston.
Ms Sweeney said in her evidence that she had not told police "all the truth" about the Triffett rumour because she feared for her safety and "because she didn't want those people to end up at my door".
She said that she told police in a statutory declaration on October 6 that it was gossip and she knew of no actual threat. However, she said there was a rumour that the Barker family was related to the Triffett family.
She denied a suggestion from Crown prosecutor Jack Shapiro that she deliberately changed her evidence "to help Noelene".
Under cross-examination by defence counsel for Mrs Jordan, Fran McCracken, Ms Sweeney said she did not know any Triffetts, but their reputation was "not a good one".
She said she was concerned about retaliation against Rachel Jordan and her partner Justin Titley.
Ms Sweeney's partner Robert Whatley told the court he worked with a person named Triffett in 2009 but had heard no rumours and did not tell his wife of any rumours.
The jury also heard a telephone intercept in which Mrs Jordan said she wished she hadn't lied, but if she was thrown in the deep end again, she might do it again.
She told Ms Sweeney that she lost four kilograms in the weeks after Mr Barker's death and couldn't sleep or eat.
Mrs Jordan told Ms Sweeney that she hoped police would "find the bastard" who killed Shane after a .22 rifle was found beside the Lake Leake highway.
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