Stephen Standage case: Court hears accused murderer was a 'police informant'
Updated
The jury on the trial of a man charged with two murders in Tasmania has heard recordings made by undercover police officers in which the accused discussed the deaths.
The Supreme Court in Hobart also heard the accused blamed police for one of the murders and that he was an informant.
Stephen Roy Standage, 61, pleaded not guilty to the murders of Ronald Frederick Jarvis at Nugent in the east Midlands in 1992 and John Lewis Thorn at Lake Leake in the state's south-east in 2006.
Both men were shot and their bodies found in bushland.
The court was previously told Standage had drug dealings with both men.
In the recordings played today, the jury heard that Standage said Mr Jarvis was a "waster" who sold confiscated drugs on behalf of police and was killed by officers.
"He got knocked by the cops," he said.
"He used to recycle and sell their dope ... and when they used to be selling speed in Hobart, the cops ... he got caught up in all that.
"He owed the cops a lot of money and there were a few nasty cops around in those days."
Standage told the undercover officer that no one had been charged for the 1992 murder because police were not going to charge themselves.
In the recordings, Standage claimed he had covertly taped conversations with now senior police and had paid police for years.
"It's the only reason why I'm still walking around," he said.
The court heard the Launceston drug squad was later disbanded because of corruption issues.
Former officer says accused gave police information on drug dealers
Today Patrick Groves, who was a sergeant in the Launceston drug squad between 1990 and 1995, gave evidence that Standage was a police informant.
He said Standage used to call him with information about drug dealers, but he was unable to give details of that information.
The court heard that information on reports Mr Groves claimed to have made about Standage's calls could not be found.
Standage said he had been Mr Thorn's friend for 30 years and was a suspect in his murder because he was the last to have seen him alive.
His DNA was also found in the dead man's ute.
Standage suggested it would have been impossible for him to have killed Mr Thorn during the 45 minutes in which his whereabouts was unaccounted for.
"In three quarters of an hour I'm supposed to have taken him out into the bush and killed him and moved his car a few kilometres and got home," he said.
"He was a mate for 30 years, lives next door, owns a backhoe and a dozer and gets all me (sic) wood for me," Standage said.
Mr Thorn's son Adam was in court when the tape was played and heard Standage say: "Before we even knew he was dead his son was asking me where he stashed his cash".
Standage told the officer he thought Mr Thorn was murdered in a drug deal gone wrong.
"Before he died he said to me he had someone to buy [cannabis] from him for $4,000 a pound ... that's a bit much for 'bush','' he said.
"I told him to be careful ... I reckon they've turned up and taken the dope and not given him the money."
Two Victorian undercover officers posing as criminal gang members were seconded to the investigation and met with Standage.
They are expected to start giving evidence on Wednesday.
They are the final witnesses for the Crown, who expect to have their case wrapped up by Thursday.
The defence will present their case to the jury next Wednesday.
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