Roger Caleb Rogerson - Killer Cop: 2016-05-08

Friday, May 13, 2016

Former detective Roger Rogerson has dismissed claims he handled a gun on the day a Jamie Gao died, as "rubbish, rubbish, rubbish" despite gunshot residue being found on his pants.

Rogerson, 75, and another former policeman Glen McNamara are accused of the shooting murder of 20-year-old Gao in a Sydney storage shed in May 2014.

"I put it to you - the gun shot residue is there (on the tracksuit pants) because you handled a gun," crown prosecutor Chris Maxwell QC said during Rogerson and McNamara's NSW Supreme Court murder trial on Friday.

"Again Mr Maxwell, that is rubbish, rubbish, rubbish," Rogerson replied.

The Crown alleges the two men killed Mr Gao and then stripped him of 2.78kg of the drug ice.

Rogerson denied allegations the pair had made an agreement that McNamara would claim he killed Mr Gao in self-defence if Rogerson became connected to the death.

He also denied allegations he threatened McNamara in his apartment after fearing he would go back on the agreement.

"I suggest that at Mr McNamara's apartment, you still had the gun in your pocket," Mr Maxwell said.

"I never had a gun," Rogerson replied on Friday.

The 13-person jury was played video of investigators searching Rogerson's bedroom.

Mr Maxwell suggested that a pair of tracksuit pants matching the description of the ones Rogerson wore on the day of Mr Gao's death must have been washed because they were found folded inside a drawer.

But Rogerson said he had numerous pairs of tracksuit pants and couldn't be sure the ones in the video were the ones he wore.

He denied having washed them in an attempt to remove gunshot residue and said his wife usually did the washing.

Mr Gao's body was found wrapped in a blue tarpaulin out at sea days after he was killed.

Rogerson says he found the student dead in the storage unit with a panicked McNamara, who told him the young man had shot himself accidentally in a physical struggle.

McNamara maintains it was Rogerson who shot Mr Gao.

The trial continues.

Roger Rogerson planned to mow lawns, not kill Jamie Gao: court

Dressed in a grey polo shirt and an oversized tanned blazer, accused killer Roger Rogerson often gripped the witness stand with both hands, his white knuckles visible as he answered some of the final questions that would be put to him.

At times the former detective would adjust his black hearing aid and then settle back in his chair and continue to glare at Crown Prosecutor Christopher Maxwell QC during his cross examination.

The entire case against him was "complete nonsense" and he had never planned to do anything on May 20, 2014 except trim his lawns and sweep the gutters outside his Padstow home in Sydney's southwest.

In front of a NSW Court Supreme jury on Friday, the 75-year-old vehemently denied he was part of a "cold and calculated" plan to lure and kill university student Jamie Gao inside a Sydney storage unit.

He also denied that he had always intended for the 20-year-old student to "disappear" after stealing 2.78 kilograms of the drug ice from him.

"Your plan I put to you sir was always to kill him and steal the drugs and make him disappear," Mr Maxwell said.

20-year-old student Jamie Gao. Photo: Police Media

"That's completely untrue," Mr Rogerson replied without hesitation.

Mr Maxwell then suggested that Mr Rogerson and his co accused Glen McNamara had agreed if they were ever investigated for the murder, the pair would stick to the story that Mr McNamara shot Mr Gao in self defence.

"I disagree – untrue," Mr Rogerson said, his voice raised.

Mr Rogerson has told the jury the only reason he went to Rent a Space, Padstow on May 2014 was as a favour to his close friend Mr McNamara.

On his account, Mr McNamara wanted to use a mutual friend's shed to talk to an informant who was helping him with a book he was writing about Asian gangs and drugs in Sydney.

Mr Rogerson said he was to keep an eye out for "suspicious Chinese" that might be following.

But he decided to go over to unit 803 and pull up the roller door to give some "fatherly advice".

What he saw was a white Mr McNamara and a dead Asian man on the ground.

He admits to helping dispose of the body out of loyalty to his friend but says he had nothing to do with the shooting death of Mr Gao.

When asked why he had gunshot residue on his hat, shirt and the pockets of his black tracksuit pants he said it must have been through a process of contamination when he was handling the body.

"I put it to you the gun shot residue was there because you handled a gun," Mr Maxwell said.

"Again Mr Maxwell that is absolute rubbish, rubbish, rubbish," Mr Rogerson said.

Earlier in the trial, the jury heard from Mr McNamara who maintains it was Mr Rogerson who shot Mr Gao dead.

During his evidence in chief he said that Mr Rogerson had threatened his life and the lives of his daughters and only helped to dispose of Mr Gao's body because he was under duress.

Mr Maxwell concluded the prosecution's case with: "In short I put to you that you were in an integral part of a cold and calculated plan to lure Jamie Gao to unit 803 and that all efforts would be made that he not be seen entering and that he would be executed there," he said.

"I disagree 100 per cent, complete nonsense," Mr Rogerson said.

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Roger Rogerson says Jamie Gao shot himself dead during struggle with Glen McNamara

Former detective Roger Rogerson is charged with murder but has told a court he believed his alleged victim had shot himself – twice.

Mr Rogerson said he saw the body of Jamie Gao, 20, lying on the floor of a Sydney storage shed but did not think any crime had been committed.

The 75-year-old said he believed his friend Glen McNamara, 57, who told him Mr Gao had accidentally shot himself during a struggle.

"So that Jamie Gao himself, shoots himself?" asked Crown prosecutor Christopher Maxwell QC.

"Well he must have," Mr Rogerson replied.

"Not once but twice?" Mr Maxwell asked.

"That could happen," he said.

Mr Rogerson and Mr McNamara are accused of killing Mr Gao in unit 803 at Rent a Space Padstow on May 20, 2014.

It is alleged they then stole the 2.78 kilograms of the drug ice he had brought to sell them.

Murdered 20-year-old student Jamie Gao. Photo: Police Media

But the accused men are blaming the shooting on each other.

Mr McNamara maintains he saw Mr Rogerson shoot Mr Gao twice in the chest.

Yet Mr Rogerson says when he entered the storage unit Mr Gao was already dead and that Mr McNamara said he had been shot in a struggle.

Under intense cross examination on Wednesday, Mr Rogerson agreed he had been naïve in believing his friend and not calling the police.

"Didn't you even ever question the veracity of this story that Glen McNamara allegedly told you?," Mr Maxwell said.

Mr Rogerson replied, "I had the utmost confidence and trust in Glen McNamara at the time."

"I did not believe that any criminal offence had been committed."

The gun used in the shooting death of Mr Gao has never been found but Mr Rogerson told the jury he last saw Mr McNamara handling it.

"What happened to the gun?" Mr Maxwell asked.

"You'll have to ask somebody else … I don't know, I don't know what happened to the gun."

Mr Rogerson denied that he and Mr McNamara had planned to "rip off" Mr Gao by stealing the drugs he had brought to a meeting.

"I was not part of any plan to rip Jamie Gao off ... I had no reason or need to rip off Jamie Gao , I'd never even heard of him until the 20th [of May ], let alone rip him off," Mr Rogerson said.

At one stage Mr Maxwell asked Mr Rogerson if he was was naïve in believing Mr McNamara's story and then helping to dispose of the body.

"I suppose I think I am naïve … I am not the man I used to be," Mr Rogerson said.

Earlier in the day Mr McNamara's barrister Gabriel Wendler asked why Mr Rogerson had helped his friend, following Mr Gao's death.

"We had this dreadful occurrence that had happened and why would I just leave him for dead? Why would I just wipe him? I honestly believed that the whole thing was solvable," Mr Rogerson said.

Mr Rogerson described the events as a "nightmare".

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Roger Rogerson disposed of Jamie Gao's body to 'help out a mate'

Former detective Roger Rogerson has told the NSW Supreme Court he believes he is a victim and took part in the disposal of a body only because he was helping out a mate.

The 75-year-old said his decision to help his friend, Glen McNamara, had "complicated" his situation and in hindsight he wished he had called the police.

Mr Rogerson and Mr McNamara are on trial for the murder of university student Jamie Gao.

But one of the reasons he did not call the police at the time was because of a deep distrust he had for them.

"Police make mistakes, look at the Lindt cafe, some big mistakes made there," Mr Rogerson said.

"I don't trust the police, I haven't trusted the police for a long time," he said.

Mr Gao, 20, was shot dead inside a south-western Sydney storage unit on May 14, 2014.

Mr Rogerson's case is that Mr Gao was dead on the ground when he walked into unit 803.

But Glen McNamara claims it was Mr Rogerson who shot Mr Gao twice in the chest.

During cross-examination Mr McNamara's barrister, Gabriel Wendler, asked Mr Rogerson why he helped to dispose of the body.

"The only reason that you assisted in removing the body of the deceased into the white station wagon was because you were helping out a mate …?" Mr Wendler asked.

"Pretty well, that's right. It was a huge nightmare what had occurred," Mr Rogerson responded.

"Why didn't you go to the police?"

"I wish I had of."

Mr Wendler asked Mr Rogerson if he thought he was a victim.

"I've never thought along those lines but that is a very good description, I have been a victim," Mr Rogerson said.

"So you're a victim on trial?

"Yes."

The public gallery, and even some jurors, giggled every now again during Mr Rogerson's evidence but there was loud laughter when he later said "I should have stayed at home".

The subject of the cross-examination at one stage turned to the gunshot residue found on Mr Rogerson's cap, shirt and pocket pants.

Mr Rogerson argued his clothes had been "contaminated" when he was helping to move Mr Gao's body into a silver surfboard bag.

"I assisted in handling his body, I moved his arms onto his chest, I helped put the silver board cover over his body, and I would imagine that this type of [gunshot residue] would have easily ended up on my hat – from me touching the hat with my hands," he said.

"I handled the body extensively."

Mr Wendler suggested the gunshot residue had ended up on Mr Rogerson's clothing because he was the one who shot Mr Gao.

"That's not the truth, that's not the case at all," he said.

Mr Wendler suggested Mr Rogerson had shot Mr Gao because he refused to hand over the drugs he had brought to a meeting.

"Untrue, untrue, untrue … lies and rubbish," Mr Rogerson responded.

During his evidence Mr Rogerson denied he had shot Mr Gao and then threatened the life of Glen McNamara and his daughters.

He said Mr McNamara's version of events was "lies, lies, lies".

Monday, May 9, 2016

Roger Rogerson, Glen McNamara shared six-pack after storing Jamie Gao's body, court told

Former detective Roger Rogerson and his co-accused in the murder of student Jamie Gao shared a six-pack of beer after storing the victim's body in a garage, a Sydney court has heard.

Rogerson and Glen McNamara have pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Gao at a storage facility in Sydney's south-west and dumping his body off Cronulla in May 2014.

On his second day in the witness box, Rogerson said the pair went to McNamara's apartment after they dealt with the body in his garage and had a drink and chatted to McNamara's daughter, Jessica.

Rogerson, 75, said he told McNamara: "Glen, your daughters remind me of my daughters when they were their age" and he should be proud because he had "lovely, lovely daughters".

He denied having a gun on him at the time, and touching his pocket while he remarked about McNamara's daughter.

Last month, McNamara told the court Rogerson said "do as you're told or I'll kill your girls", but today Rogerson denied he threatened McNamara and his daughters on the day of the killing and thereafter, saying that claim was "another massive lie".

The court also heard McNamara was worried about reprisals after the shooting of Mr Gao.

McNamara feared for 'vulnerable daughters'

Rogerson also described conversations he said he had with McNamara after driving to the apartment complex in Cronulla.

"He was saying: 'This arsehole nearly killed me'," Rogerson told the court.

He said McNamara told him: "He can't hurt me but his mates can and I'm very worried about my daughters. They are vulnerable."

Rogerson continued: "I was starting to realise the whole enormity of what had happened and I didn't know what to think."

Rogerson has already told the jury Mr Gao was dead on the floor of the storage unit when he entered, and McNamara told him Mr Gao had pulled a gun on him and shot himself in a struggle.

He said McNamara discouraged him from calling police, claiming if the Triads found out, they would kill police officers and there would be a "bloodbath".

McNamara handled Gao's body in garage, court told

Rogerson today said it was his co-accused who handled the body inside his garage.

"The tarp and the surfboard cover were tightly wrapped around the body of Mr Gao," he said.

"Neither of us... could lift the body any more than just a few inches off the floor."

PHOTO: Two former detectives have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Jamie Gao. (Supplied: Facebook)

The pair then hired a block and tackle, or as Rogerson described it, a "chain block", to lift the body into McNamara's boat.

Rogerson said McNamara made a number of attempts before he was successful.

"The most I did was try to keep the body level by holding the feet of Mr Gao while Glen McNamara used the apparatus," Rogerson said.

Rogerson also rejected the accusation he was on the boat that dumped Mr Gao's body in waters off Cronulla.

"I was not on that boat, I never made any suggestion about stabbing the body because I wasn't on the boat in the first place," Rogerson told the court.

He said the next morning, McNamara towed the boat to a ramp in the Gymea area while he followed, but he did not board the boat himself.

"The last I saw of him was motoring down the Port Hacking River," he said.

His evidence continues. Page source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-09/glen-mcnamara-feared-reprisals-after-jamie-gao-shooting-court/7395384

Roger Rogerson 'shot to pieces' when reality of Jamie Gao's death sank in: trial

The body of a university student was pulled from a white Ford station wagon and placed onto the cold, concrete floor of a Cronulla unit car park.

Shortly afterwards, former detective and true crime author Glen McNamara, 57, lent over the body and allegedly said, "This asshole nearly killed me, this asshole nearly killed me."

Another former policeman Roger Rogerson, 75, testified at his NSW Supreme Court murder trial on Monday that this is what happened.

Mr McNamara and Mr Rogerson are both charged with the murder of Jamie Gao, 20, and taking the 2.78 kilograms of ice the UTS student had brought to a meeting in May 2014.

But the accused men are blaming his death on each other.

On his second day in the witness stand, Mr Rogerson outlined to a jury his version of events in the hours after Mr Gao was killed inside a south-western Sydney storage shed.

He said that, after Mr Gao's body was stuffed inside a silver surfboard bag, it was loaded into the back of a white Ford station wagon and driven to Mr McNamara's apartment block.

When the pair had dragged the body to the floor, Mr Rogerson claimed his friend said a number of things while leaning over the deceased.

"[McNamara] said, 'He can't hurt me but his mates can and I'm very worried about my daughters, they are vulnerable.' "

Mr Rogerson said he was then asked to help load the body into Mr McNamara's boat, which was parked in the basement nearby.

"[McNamara] said I've got to distance myself from him … if his body's found with bullets in it I know his mates will come after me," he told the court.

At this point, Mr Rogerson said reality started to sink in.

"I was basically shot to pieces myself … I was starting to realise the whole enormity of what had happened and I didn't know what to think really but all I could do was do what I was doing," he said.

Mr Rogerson said he only asked who the dead person was a few moments before his friend asked him to lift the body into the boat.

"I actually said to Glen McNamara, I said 'Glen what's his name? And he just said 'Gao.' "

"Neither of us collectively could lift the body any more than just inches off the floor," he said.

Mr Rogerson claimed this was when Mr McNamara resolved the pair should drive to Kennard's Hire at Taren Point to buy a block and tackle, which would help them lift the body into the boat.

The jury were also told about how the pair went back to where Mr Gao was killed the following day to clean up spots of blood.

Armed with a green bucket, a sponge and plastic bottle filled with water, the pair made their way to unit 803 at Rent a Space, Padstow.

"I used the bucket and the water and the sponge ... there was only three or four little spots of blood on the floor," Mr Rogerson said.

The trial continues before Justice Geoffrey Bellew.