Driver’s alleged role in unspeakable ‘murder’

A work colleague of a man who murdered his ex-wife by dousing her in fuel and setting her on fire was paid $1000 to drive him to the address and fill up a jerry can with petrol along the way, a Supreme Court jury has been told.

The chilling allegation against Bradley Bell was revealed after he pleaded not guilty to the murder of Gold Coast mum Kelly Wilkinson back in April 2021.

Ms Wilkinson was murdered by her ex-husband Brian Earl Johnston on April 20 that year, the court was told.

On Monday, Crown prosecutor David Nardone said Mr Bell was alleged to have “enabled or aided” Johnston to murder his ex-wife by “helping Johnston achieve that end”.

“Knowing and expecting that Mr Johnston intended to kill his wife, the accused Bradley Bell drove Brian Johnston to his wife’s house and stopped on the way to fill the jerry can of petrol, used to douse Ms Wilkinson,” Mr Nardone told the court during his opening.

The court was told Ms Wilkinson and Johnston met in 2011 and married in 2012.

The family lived together at a home in Arundel but their relationship allegedly deteriorated, resulting in Ms Wilkinson telling Johnston to leave the home in February 2021.

Mr Nardone said a police protection notice and protection order, naming Ms Wilkinson as the aggrieved, was taken out against Johnston.

Johnston was charged with raping Ms Wilkinson, Mr Nardone told the jury.

Mr Nardone said Johnston’s co-workers – including Mr Bell – became aware he was having issues with his marriage and of the allegations of rape.

He told the court Johnston had disclosed “multiple times” to Mr Bell that he wanted to kill Ms Wilkinson, saying he wanted to “tie her up and burn her”.

“Brian Johnston told the accused (Mr Bell) he would pay the accused $1000 to drive him to the house where Ms Wilkinson lived,” Mr Nardone said.

“He told the accused not to ask any questions, and the accused did that.”

Mr Nardone told the jury they would be shown CCTV of Johnston at his workplace’s shed, carrying a clipseal bag containing a white powder, later found to contain a “sedative drug”.

Mr Bell is alleged to have joined Johnston at the shed, where the pair allegedly discuss getting petrol and needing a “tool bag”.

Mr Nardone told the jury that Mr Bell was alleged to have asked if another person “knows anything about what is to occur”.

On the evening of April, 19, 2021, Johnston and Mr Bell were allegedly captured on CCTV driving past Ms Wilkinson’s home in Spikes Court, Arundel.

Mr Nardone said Mr Bell agreed to drive Johnston back to the address about 3am the next morning.

“On the way … they stopped at a BP service station,” he told the jury.

“The accused gets out of his car, removes a jerry can from the boot and fills it, and his car, with petrol before paying for it,” Mr Nardone said.

Mr Bell then dropped Johnston off near Ms Wilkinson’s address about 3.37am, carrying a camouflage bag along the way, the court was told.

Police later found the bag contained zipties, duct tape, a pinch bar, the bag of white powder and white rope.

Mr Bell is alleged to have told police he spent the night at Johnston’s campsite the night before Ms Wilkinson’s death and the pair got KFC about 7pm.

In a statement, which Mr Nardone said would be shown to the jury, Mr Bell said he learnt about Ms Wilkinson’s death after listening to the radio.

“He (Mr Bell) says he slept through the night, only waking around 5.30am to a phone call from his other boss,” Mr Nardone said.

“He says it was at this time, he says in his statement, that Mr Johnston was no longer at the campsite.”

The court was told Mr Bell spoke to another co-worker on April 23, 2021, saying he was worried he would be seen on CCTV taking Johnston to Ms Wilkinson’s home on the morning she was allegedly murdered and filling up at the service station.

Mr Nardone said Mr Bell was alleged to have said he would just tell police he didn’t know what he was taking Johnston to the address for.

Ed Whitton, Mr Bell’s defence barrister, told the jury their main focus would be to determine if the Crown had proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr Bell “knew or expected what Johnston was going to do”.

“Bradley Bell didn’t kill anyone,” Mr Whitton said.

He urged the jury to assess the evidence fairly and objectively, including a recorded interview between Mr Bell and police.

“Please understand, there will be two sides to this story by the time this trial has finished,” Mr Whitton said.

“I can tell you now … you will hear an explanation from Bradley Bell as to why he said those things to the police.”

The trial, before Supreme Court Justice Michael Copley, is scheduled to run for 10 days.