A MAN accused of driving an alleged gunman to and from a house at Stockton on the night 61-year-old grandmother Stacey Klimovitch was shot dead later repeatedly cleaned his car, tried more than once to arrange an alibi and organised for a disc containing CCTV footage to be given to an associate "to keep safe", a jury has heard.
Stephen John Garland, now 65, on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to murder and being an accessory after the fact to murder over the death of Mrs Klimovitch and faced the first day of an estimated four-week trial in Newcastle Supreme Court.
Mrs Klimovitch was shot once in the chest with a shotgun after she answered her front door in Queen Street about 8pm on June 9, 2021 in what prosecutors allege was a "targeted" and "premeditated" shooting.
Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield, SC, said the murder stemmed from ongoing animosity between Mrs Klimovitch and Stuart Campbell, the ex-partner of Mrs Klimovitch's daughter.
Mr Hatfield told the jury Mr Campbell had the motive and arranged the murder, recruiting the alleged gunman to pull the trigger and Mr Garland to drive him to and from Stockton.
He said the three men were engaged in a joint criminal enterprise to murder Mrs Klimovitch and, while he didn't pull the trigger, Mr Garland knew his role was the driver.
"We say the nature of the agreement was clear from the conduct of the three persons immediately prior to the shooting," Mr Hatfield said. "The fact that the shotgun was taken with Garland and [the alleged gunman] in the vehicle to Stockton and what happened when they got to Stockton. "That was the joint criminal enterprise to carry out the murder of Mrs Klimovitch."
Mr Campbell was charged with murder but died before facing trial.
During his opening address on Tuesday, Mr Hatfield took the jury through the breakdown of the relationship between Mr Campbell and Mrs Klimovitch's daughter, the birth of Mr Campbell's child and two "important incidents" that occurred at a house in Argenton in the months before the shooting.
Mr Hatfield said in March, after the birth of his child and while his ex was still in hospital, Mr Campbell went to the house at Argenton and damaged property before telling Mrs Klimovitch "I'm going to do you in".
Mrs Klimovitch responded: "Go your hardest", Mr Hatfield told the jury.
Then, sometime later, when Mr Campbell came to the house at Argenton to visit his newborn child, he and Mrs Klimovitch had an argument outside that ended with Mrs Klimovitch slapping Mr Campbell.
Mr Hatfield said the relationship deteriorated further and told the jury they would hear evidence in the trial that showed Mr Campbell's "animosity towards Stacey Klimovitch and his determination to have her killed".
Prosecutors allege Mr Campbell then recruited the alleged gunman and Mr Garland to commit the murder and be the getaway driver.
Much of the prosecution case will focus on witnesses and CCTV footage from businesses and homes in Argenton, Heddon Greta and Stockton, Mr Hatfield said.
One woman is expected to give evidence that she saw one of the men put a duffle bag, which prosecutors alleged contained the shotgun, into the boot of Mr Garland's Holden Commodore outside a house at Heddon Greta on the night of the murder.
Mr Hatfield said Mr Garland drove the Commodore away from a house about 6.50pm with the alleged gunman in the front seat.
Prosecutors claim they can map the route the men took from Heddon Greta to Stockton using CCTV footage from various businesses.
And once they were in Stockton, Mr Hatfield said CCTV footage from a home shows a man hiding what prosecutors allege was the shotgun in bushes near Mrs Klimovitch's house.
About 10 minutes later, the person comes back and picks up the item, walks to Mr Klimovitch's front door and waits.
A few moments later there is a blast and the gunman flees before the sound of a car speeding away.
Mr Hatfield said Mr Garland turned his phone off during the journey to Stockton and later, after dropping the alleged gunman off in Argenton, returned to Heddon Greta where he was seen searching his car.
"I dropped the guy off and picked him up around the corner and he was covered in blood," Mr Garland is alleged to have told someone.
The next day, Mr Garland is allegedly recorded on CCTV cleaning his car "to remove any traces of evidence", Mr Hatfield said.
And he allegedly twice attempted to arrange an alibi for his whereabouts on the night of the murder, including one conversation that was picked up on a listening device.
The trial will continue tomorrow when Mr Hatfield will conclude his opening address and defence barrister Tom Hughes is expected to open to the jury.
