by: Linda Parri
From: The Sunday Times
June 23, 2012 6:00PM
LESS than a month before Lloyd Rayney is due to stand trial on charges of wilful murder of his wife, the barrister has raised eyebrows at a Northbridge pub.
According to witnesses, Mr Rayney looked as if he hadn’t a care in the world as he enjoyed drinks with two young women at the Elephant and Wheelbarrow on Lake St last weekend.
Wearing a suit, he arrived alone by taxi at about 6.45 pm, with a Sunday session in full swing.
After 90 minutes, their gathering was cut short when one of the women, who was wearing a beanie, vomited under the table, just centimetres from Mr Rayney’s feet.
The trio made a casual exit, leaving staff to clean up the mess.
One woman lost her balance on steps outside, where she sat down to regain her composure.
“She looked like she was about to fall but then she grabbed the railing and sat down on the steps,” a witness said. Another witness said the group consumed wine.
“The girl that vomited had her head face down on the table for a while,” the witness said.
“Nobody knew she was actually throwing up until after she left and they found the mess.
“Most people in the pub were too busy pointing and saying ‘That’s Lloyd Rayney’ under their breath to notice what she was doing.”
Mr Rayney’s lawyer Laura Timpano, told The Sunday Times her client had gone to the pub to “wind down” after working all Saturday and Sunday.
She said he had been due to meet his barrister and other legal staff there, but the barrister had to cancel. She said one of the staff and a friend did go.
She said the staff member had suffered a reaction to medication after having surgery a few days earlier.
“She was sick because of the medication, not because of booze,” Ms Timpano said. “She’s now on a different medication.
“Mr Rayney wasn’t there for very long and only consumed one light beer.”
Mr Rayney was arrested in 2010 for the murder of Corryn Rayney in August 2007, after her body was found in a shallow grave in Kings Park. His trial starts on July 16.