On the first day of his double-murder trial, accused killer Tuhirangi-Thomas Tahiata has sacked his lawyer saying he has no faith in the legal system.

June 10, 2019

A man accused of the Logan bodies-in-the-toolbox murders says he has lost faith in his lawyers and sacked them because they advised him to plead guilty.

Tuhirangi-Thomas Tahiata told the first day of his expected trial he plans to defend himself against charges of murdering Cory Breton and Iuliana Triscaru during a drug debt dispute in January 2016.

Their bodies were discovered after a two-day search of waterways and bushland in Kingston uncovered a submerged toolbox.

They had been shot in the head.

On Monday, Tahiata told the Brisbane Supreme Court he’d had two sets of lawyers but would prefer to have a “McKenzie friend”, Kristen Westwood, assist him during the trial set down for 10 days.

“I’ve lost faith in the legal system and I do not wish to be represented by lawyers who are determined that I should plead guilty,” he said.

The court heard Ms Westwood has a law degree but is not a practising lawyer. McKenzie friend is a term sometimes given to a non-lawyer assisting someone in a hearing.

Justice Bowskill asked Tahiata to reconsider his decision.

“These are very serious offences that carry a serious penalty … a McKenzie friend can only do so much,” she said.

Police have previously alleged Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru were beaten at a unit over a drug debt before being bound and stuffed into the two-metre-long box.

They were then allegedly driven to the dam off dead-end Mudgee Street, where they were both shot in the head and the box thrown into the water.

Justice Bowskill adjourned the matter until July 17 for Tahiata to seek further advice.