Buderim groom-to-be stabbed brother to death three days before wedding, court told
A Queensland groom-to-be stabbed his brother to death in a “fit of rage” days before he was due to get married, a court has heard.
Bernard John Robbins is charged with murdering Gregory Robbins at a home in Buderim on the Sunshine Coast in 2019.
Three days later 59-year-old Bernard Robbins was due to get married.
His brother had arrived in Queensland from Perth on June 12 to attend the wedding.
He didnāt even get to unpack his bag before the 61-year-old was stabbed seven times in a ācrime of passionā, dying in hospital in the early hours of the next morning, the Brisbane Supreme Court was told on Tuesday.
The men had been drinking on the patio of the house pensioner Bernard Robbins shared with the woman he was due to marry, Sally Doring.
They talked about general matters before ābickering over stupid thingsā, the trial is expected to hear, prosecutor Christopher Cook said in his opening.
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But things escalated with Bernard Robbins becoming enraged due to an argument with his brother āabout family mattersā and perhaps suggestions from his bride-to-be that the wedding may not go ahead.
Bernard Robbinsā daughter and both menās partners were in the unit at the time.
Cook said the women are expected to tell the jury they separated the men once, but Bernard soon became angry again, slamming a door and throwing something at Gregory across a table.
āI expect youāll hear from multiple people that there was ā¦ some jeopardy put on the wedding,ā Cook added.
Bernard Robbins then told his brother to leave, saying his bags were on the driveway.
Gregory Robbins and his partner were walking out the garage when the older man was stabbed about 10pm.
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āIn a fit of rage Bernard Robbins stabbed his own brother Gregory and killed him,ā Cook told the jury.
In an audio recording of a triple-zero call Bernardās daughter Annie Robbins is heard shouting āstop it, stop it, stop itā.
Cook said Gregory Robbins suffered four stab wounds, eight to 12 centimetres deep, close to his heart.
He was also stabbed twice in the back.
āThis is a crime of passion,ā Cook said.
He said no one saw Bernard Robbins get the knives, but a chefās paring knife and a white handled-knife with a long blade were found on the garage floor.
Bernard Robbins told police, āIt has just been the usual family f***ing s***,ā according to footage from an officerās bodyworn camera.
Police later estimated Bernard Robbins had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.182 at the time of the stabbing, while his brotherās BAC level was 0.217.
The trial, set down for five days, is expected to hear from the three women who were in the house at the time, neighbours and police.
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