A man who has denied intentionally killing his partner told police he started a fire underneath her home to "get back at her" after an argument, a court has heard.
WARNING: This story contains content that readers may find distressing.
James Morton Mason is on trial in the Supreme Court for the murder of Alexis Parkes in Chermside on Brisbane's northside in February 2020.
The 46-year-old has pleaded not guilty to the offence but has admitted to committing arson.
A Brisbane Supreme Court jury has already heard Mr Mason deliberately set fire to her car, which was parked underneath her home.
Ms Parkes, 50, was pulled unresponsive from the burning house, and died several days later in hospital, the jury has heard.
On Wednesday, several video and audio recordings were played to the court, including police interviews with Mr Mason and a conversation which was covertly taped while he was in custody.
In the first recording when he was arrested, Mr Mason tells an officer before he set fire to Ms Parkes's car, they were involved in an argument, and she kicked him out of the house.
He claimed "she started going off" before threatening him and his family.
When questioned further, he first said he lit the fire because he was "concerned about my safety" but later in the recording said it was because "I was hurting" and the car was "all she cared about".
"I didn't have no intentions to hurt her … I just wanted to pay her back for threatening my family and me," he said in the recording.
'I just lit it and walked off': Police interviews played to court
Mr Mason tells the officer he did not think about the consequences of his actions and immediately left the scene before the fire took hold of the house.
"I just lit it and just walked off," he said in the recording.
"I didn't think anything bad was going to happen."
In a second recording at a police station on the same day, Mr Mason tells the same officer he believed "taking her car away from her" would "stop the threats".
"I thought that just by lighting her car up, would tell her to stop her from harassing my family," he said in the recording.
When asked about claims from witnesses that Ms Parkes said Mr Mason had trapped her inside, he told the officer "she's got the keys beside her bed that's where she keeps them".
In a later conversation, which was secretly recorded in a police watch house cell and played to the court, he discussed the fire with an undercover officer.
Mr Mason gave a different version of events about the argument, claiming it was because Ms Parkes had been unfaithful, but maintained he had "no intentions" to harm her.
"I was trying to put it out, but it was too late," he said in the recording.
"I f****d up, now I have to suffer the consequences."
'It was just revenge'
In a later police interview after Ms Parkes died, Mr Mason gave another version of what he did after setting fire to her car.
He said when he realised what he had done, he tried to save her, and began yelling "I'm so sorry honey, come out quick".
"She obviously couldn't hear me," he said in the recording.
Mr Mason told the officers he tried to kick in her back door, but there was "too much flames", and when he heard sirens he began panicking and decided to flee.
"I didn't know what to say to the firies," he said in the recording.
He continued to claim he did not intend to kill Ms Parkes.
"It was just revenge for the threats that she made… I just wanted to hurt the car," he said.
"I just wanted to get back at her."
Throughout all the recordings, Mr Mason made claims Ms Parkes was "psycho" due to medication and alcohol, and that during their argument she was the aggressor.
The jury had already heard on the night of the blaze, Ms Parkes had sent messages to Mr Mason's daughter, telling her he had been the one who assaulted her.
The trial continues with prosecutors and the defence team expected to start their closing addresses on Thursday.
