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Source: ONE News -
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A close friend of the Bain family has told the High Court in Christchurch that Margaret Bain thought she was possessed by spirits and was using a pendulum to decide what to buy when shopping.
On Tuesday, friend Barbara Short described how David Bain's mother, Margaret was becoming what some people would describe as "mental" in the early 90's.
David Bain is on trial in the High Court at Christchurch for the murder five members of his family in Dunedin in 1994.
Barbara Short gave evidence via video link from Sydney and knew the couple when they all lived in Papua New Guinea in the 80's.
She described Margaret and Robin Bain as her closest friends at the time, but says by 1988 when the Bain's moved back to Dunedin, Margaret had changed.
Short says she went to stay with the Bains in Dunedin in 1991 when Margaret was involved in what she called "new aged things".
Robin Bain asked her to visit them in Dunedin, to help Margaret.
Short says Margaret believed in previous lives, and actually told her the pair had been related in a previous life. She says Margaret was "getting closer and closer to god."
She also claimed to be related to the emperors in Egypt, something the witness said she was very concerned about.
Short says she felt the couple was in trouble because they wanted different things.
She believed both Robin and Margaret were praying for each other to change.
She says Margaret sought help because she believed she was possessed by a spirit.
Margaret was rejecting Robin and wanted him to leave. She wanted to end the relationship, Short says.
Nine weeks into the trial, the last Crown witnesses are being called. A couple of police officers are expected to give evidence and some more background evidence about the Bain family is expected to be presented before the Crown wraps up its case in the next couple of days.
