WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains the name of a person who has died.
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A man who police were looking into regarding the disappearance of Gulgong teenager Michelle Bright has been placed at a home, but only by one witness.
Craig Henry Rumsby, 56, is on trial in the Supreme Court in Dubbo having pleaded not guilty to murdering the 17-year-old, and attempting to choke or strangle with intent to commit an indictable offence in relation to an earlier alleged attack on another teenage girl in Gulgong.
Ms Bright has been named with the permission of her family.
Six witnesses were called to the stand on Monday with five of these asked to establish several peoples' whereabouts and timings on the evening and early morning of February 26-27, 1999.
Ms Bright was last seen in the early hours of February 27, 1999.
Kym Ryan (nee Hawkins) was questioned about her movements and those of her then fiancée Mark Hawkins. She told prosecutor Lee Carr they had gone out to the Prince of Wales Hotel in Gulgong.
She left before closing time alone and walked back to her parents house where she and Mr Hawkins were staying.
The same night her younger brother Sam Ryan and three friends attended the same birthday party Ms Bright was at.
The jury heard the boys had a 12am curfew and that Mr Ryan had returned home around this time to ask for an extension until 1am.
Ms Ryan said of Mr Hawkins "he got back just before Sam got home. I was still awake. I've always had in my head that was between 12am and 1am.
"I heard the gate grate on the wall and I remember speaking to Mark and laughing that he [Sam] would ask for another curfew."
She said Mr Hawkins told her he had earlier broken up a fight between two men, Shane Weatherley and Danny Stewart.
On May 16, Wayne Thomas gave evidence supporting this scenario, he told the court he had been with Mr Stewart and witnessed the incident.
Ms Ryan said Mr Hawkins had said he walked Mr Weatherley part the way home before heading to her parents' house.
She then said Mr Hawkins had been back for "about 15 minutes" when she heard her brother return and she said she didn't hear them leave again.
Defence lawyer Nicholas Broadbent questioned Ms Ryan over the timings, asking if Mr Hawkins could have arrived later than 1am.
"No," she replied.
Ms Ryan was also questioned about the police interest in Mr Hawkins' whereabouts.
She said Mr Hawkins had been "hesitant" to provide police a DNA buckle swab and she was "pushing" for him to do so.
She said he would not explain why but he eventually did provide a sample.
Confusion over curfew
Also called were Colleen Ryan (Kym and Sam's mother) as well as Sam Ryan, Ben Kerr and Harold Martin.
Mrs Ryan told the court to the best of her memory the curfew was either 11pm or 12am and any extension would have been an hour.
She said when time had expired on the extension to the curfew all the boys came back. A fourth boy was present but did not appear in court on Monday.
Mr Ryan, Mr Kerr and Mr Martin were questioned as to their movements. Like Mrs Ryan they said they could not recall specific timings but all three confirmed after they returned home from the extension they snuck out again to the party, returning between 2.30am and 3am.
Neither Mrs Ryan, Mr Ryan, Mr Kerr and Mr Martin said they saw Kym Ryan or Mark Hawkins on the night/early morning of February 26-27. Colleen Ryan said she spoke to Kym Ryan after she returned home.
The trial continues.
- An earlier version of this report said neither Mrs Ryan, Mr Ryan, Mr Kerr nor Mr Martin said they saw Kym Ryan or Mark Hawkins on the night/early morning of February 26-27. This was incorrect. The court heard Mrs Ryan said she had spoken to Kym Ryan after she returned home that night.
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