Updates from fourth day of David Oakes double murder trial

Levi Bright, who was 16 at the time, told the court how he had smoked a few tokes of marijuananwith his mother’s ex-partner one evening.

The drug made Oakes angry and aggressive and he appeared to be looking for an argument, the teenager said.

Oakes lifted Miss Chambers off the floor by her hair as she tried to flee her home in Bartram Avenue late one night.

She fled with Levi and her two daughters to next door neighbour Amanda Thomson’s house.

The neighbour said Oakes arrived naked hammering on her back door.

The defence lawyer asked the teenager if the argument had arisen due to Oakes’ dislike of marijuana being smoked near Miss Chambers’ daughters.

Levi answered he could not remember but was certain Oakes had smoked the drug with him.

He went on to describe a further incident at Oakes’ caravan, where the pair had been drinking and bickering, resulting in thendefendant throwing whisky in his mother’s eyes.

Oakes left the courtroom crying at one point as Levi gave evidence yesterday and at the end appeared to call out to him. Levi told the court Oakes had been very respectful to him.

Jurors also heard from Miss Chamber’s friend Tara Scopes, who gave evidence from behind a screen.

She told how on June 3, three days before the alleged murders, she had witnessed Oakes and Miss Chambers arguing over money.

They had met as Oakes was due to collect Shania to stay with him for the weekend.

The defence suggested it was during this meeting that Oakes could have handed over a dismantled shotgun in a pillowcase to Miss Chambers and put it in her daughter’s pram.

It was suggested Miss Chambers had asked for the gun for a friend and Ms Scopes was asked if she would have been able to see if Miss Chambers had been handed the gun from her position across the road.

Ms Scopes told the court said she had not seen a pram and she and Miss Chambers had gone to a friend’s house after leaving Shania with Oakes. The trial continues.