Only weeks before the widow of slain businessman Michael McGurk was herself threatened, police were listening to wealthy property developer expressing his anger and frustration with Kimberley McGurk.
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"She's not going to win!" Ron Medich said angrily. "She knows she's a crook and he was one."
The wealthy Sydney property developer was referring to his ongoing legal battles with Mrs McGurk, whom Mr Medich allegedly hoped would drop her husband's legal battles with Mr Medich, after Mr McGurk was murdered in September 2009.
A series of telephone calls were played while defence witness Andrew Howard was giving evidence at Mr Medich's trial for murdering Mr McGurk and intimidating his wife. The property developer has pleaded not guilty.
At the end of June 2010, Mr Howard, then a financial adviser to Mr Medich, was heard telling Mr Medich that Mrs McGurk needed a "dose of reality".
"She thinks she's going to walk away with money," Mr Howard said, before audio of him laughing. "That isn't the case."
Mr Howard, who worked with Mr McGurk for several years before switching to work for Mr Medich in early 2009, agreed that he knew that Mrs McGurk was a stay-at-home mother with four children who had nothing to do with her late husband's businesses.
Crown prosecutor Gina O'Rourke, SC, suggested to Mr Howard that he and Mr Medich were determined to force "the deceased's wife ??? into a desperate settlement" and that Mr Howard thought that this was "humorous".
Mr Howard, who was set to receive a $1 million success fee from Mr Medich for a successful outcome against Mrs McGurk, denied these propositions.
In another call in July 2010, Mr Medich was heard telling Mr Howard that he had to get a message to Mrs McGurk's backers that "I ain't going away".
The court heard that Mr Howard and Mr Medich discovered that another wealthy property developer, Bob Ell, was financially assisting Mrs McGurk in the ongoing legal battles against Mr Medich.
In one taped call, Mr Howard was heard saying that because Mrs McGurk arrived in court with five lawyers, "the gloves are now off".
Mrs McGurk has previously testified on the night of August 8, 2010, a man wearing a wig and a hoodie appeared at her door.
The man said: "I should do the right thing and not be a thief like my husband and pay my debts."
When she asked what debts he was talking about, the man replied, "You know what you need to do", and then he left.
Mrs McGurk told the jury she felt "sick, shaky" and "very frightened" for herself and her family.
In a call to Mr Howard five days after the threat was delivered, Mr Medich told Mr Howard that Mrs McGurk needed to "pay up ... and get out of our lives."
The trial continues.
