A Queensland jury heard testimony from a man accused of trying to kill his ex-girlfriend, who said that the only reason he got the hatchet was to get her to talk to him again.
During his trial in Brisbane Supreme Court on the count of attempting to kill Maria Buci, 30, by striking her with a hatchet and choking her, former security guard Cameron Turgay Bardak, 31, testified for three hours on Friday.
An additional charge of causing serious bodily damage to Buci was one to which Bardak had pled guilty.
Bardak claimed that July 1, 2020, was the “stupidest day of my life” when he purchased a hatchet to use as a threat against Buci if she refused to discuss their relationship again. He made this statement while being questioned by his lawyer, Matthew Hynes.
In his testimony before the jury, Bardak said, “I saw the axe as a good coercive measure if she chose not to comply.”
Although he acknowledged using the weapon to strike Buci in the hand and shoulder, Bardak claimed he had no desire to kill or harm her.
That day, Buci and Bardak had lunch together, and after he broke things off, Buci went back to her job as a lawyer in the heart of Brisbane.
According to Bardak’s testimony, he realized he had made a hasty choice and believed he could make amends with her if they met face-to-face at 5 o’clock.
“I didn’t want her to mull it over. That did not go well for me in the past. This was a Band-Aid to get us through the night in our relationship,” Bardak added.
Bardak told Buci his “life was over” in one of the pages of vulgar and degrading communications they had exchanged prior to the attack, which Hynes flipped through.
Gaining support for manipulation was the goal. Almost like, “Look what you made me do.” Bardak said that it was coercive.
Bardak claimed he urged Buci to proceed to his own vehicle by going up to the next level after waiting for her to reach her automobile.
She resisted, and he grabbed her by the arm. When he covered her mouth or displayed the hatchet, she continued to scream.
Bardak claimed he used “six out of 10” force to strike David Sturgess in the hand before placing both of his hands on Buci’s throat.
“With enough (power) to put an end to her yelling. I have never before choked a person. Bardak admitted, “I was simply winging it.
Bardak denied planning a “cowardly murder-suicide” during a cross-examination by crown prosecutor Chris Cook after Buci rejected his demands for forgiveness.
A witness’ iPhone video of the assault, which showed Bardak on top of Buci with both hands on her neck, was shown to Bardak by Cook.
You want to patch things up, is that right? On Friday, were you considering joining her for a game of tennis? Asked Cook.
Bardak remarked that he intended to bring her to his car.
He denied acting like a “robot” and having only one goal in mind—killing Buci—while ignoring the good Samaritans’ punches to the head and kidneys.
Bardak remarked, “You can’t play tennis with a pile of bones, and you can’t plan with a dead person.”
On Tuesday, the trial will continue.
