A Brisbane financial planner who bashed his top client to death with a hammer was mentally ill at the time but knew right from wrong, a court has heard.

October 17, 2018

A Brisbane financial planner who stole more than a $1 million from clients knew right from wrong when he bashed his best customer to death with a hammer, his murder trial has been told.

Trung The Ma, 35, was mentally abnormal when he killed Huegio Bonham during a dispute about the spiritual guru’s missing money but also capable of understanding right from wrong, prosecution psychiatrist Darren Neillie testified on Wednesday.

Ma is on trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court accused of murdering 63-year-old Mr Bonham during an argument over the financial planner’s alleged theft of $706,000 from him.

Ma has admitted killing his client and hiding his body in storage at Indooroopilly after their business relationship soured but he denies murdering Mr Bonham and is fighting the charge on mental health grounds.

Dr Neillie said Ma, who arrived in Australia aged three after fleeing Vietnam on a boat with his family, was likely suffering a mild adjustment disorder.

He said the argument with Mr Bonham, coupled with Ma’s disorder, ongoing anxiety and the pressure Ma believed was heaped upon him by his family to succeed, triggered an emotional and violent response.

Ma told Dr Neillie during three pre-trial assessments Mr Bonham had demanded access to Ma’s financial clients and his family during their fatal meeting in February 2014. Ma said Mr Bonham wanted the information so he could spruik his spiritual counselling business to them.

“He said the idea of his family being exposed to Mr Bonham’s beliefs led to a further escalation in his emotional state …. he recalled feeling enraged … the mention of his family led to him feeling threatened at an emotional level,” Dr Nellie said.

Ma believed he hadn’t lived up to the expectations of his father, the psychiatrist said.

He idealised his father for his work ethic in the family’s takeaway business following their boat escape, in which half those on board had died.

Dr Neillie said Ma, a former Commonwealth Bank and ANZ employee, also suffered from low self-esteem, cried regularly at work and was taking up to eight Ibuprofen tablets a day to dull back pain.

He carried around the “paper trail” that proved he’d stolen more than a million dollars from clients and believed he’d one day repay the money.

Despite this, Dr Neillie said there was evidence of normality in Ma’s life.

He had a good relationship with his daughter and wife, which he had rebuilt through marriage counselling after an online affair with another woman was discovered.

The trial continues.