WA: Rose's former husband denies kill plot a lie

AAP General News (Australia)
08-14-2001
WA: Rose's former husband denies kill plot a lie

PERTH, Aug 14 AAP - The first husband of Rose Porteous today denied he was lying when
he alleged she had plotted to kill mining magnate Lang Hancock.

Julian Teodoro has told the coroner's court in Perth of a meeting in the Philippines
at which he alleges Mrs Porteous sought help to find a man to kill Mr Hancock, her then
husband.

Lawyers for Mr Hancock's daughter Gina Rinehart are trying to prove at the inquest
into his death that Mrs Porteous was responsible for the mining magnate's death in 1992.

Under cross examination, Mr Teodoro denied his story was a vicious lie or that the
meeting's purpose was to scam money from Mrs Porteous.

But he told the inquest his mother had later said in passing that she had asked Mrs
Porteous at the meeting for $41,000.

Counsel for Mrs Porteous told the inquest Mr Teodoro's mother wanted the money to reimburse
her for the cost of Mr Teodoro's son Jet's trial in 1986 for stealing a ring from the
Hancocks.

Geoffrey Chettle also asked Mr Teodoro if he had lied about his former wife trying
to stab him and hit him over the head with a beer bottle.

Mr Teodoro said Mrs Porteous had been violent and he had had to hit her before they got married.

"Oh yeah, then she tried to stop me," he said. "I hit her in the mouth and ... when
she fell down, pulled her down the stairs" he said.

Mr Hancock died aged 82 on March 27, 1992, of what doctors claim were natural causes.

AAP lk/dd/sp/ns/bwl

KEYWORD: HANCOCK

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