Friend Neil Cameron yesterday gave evidence at the inquest into Branxholme builder Anthony Mooney’s death at Warrnambool court.

Mr Mooney, 46, died on Father’s Day 2008 from acute strychnine poisoning after sharing fried chicken with his son Travis and stepson Jeremy Johnson at his historic bluestone home Arrandoovong.

Yesterday Mr Cameron told the inquest he made a second statement to police admitting he had supplied the strychnine after a story appeared in The Age during May 2009.

He said that prior to reading that report he was of the understanding that he and Mr Mooney had made an agreement to keep the supply and use of the strychnine between themselves.

Mr Cameron said that after reading that article it was clear Mr Mooney had not kept his side of the agreement.

He said that he had talked to a journalist up to a month before the article was published where the reporter put to him that he had supplied the strychnine and Mr Cameron denied he had.

Mr Cameron said he had another telephone conversation with the reporter during which he admitted being extremely anxious.

He said the number of conversations he had with Mr Mooney about the poison all related to his friend’s problems with possums.

Mr Cameron said that when he dropped off the strychnine at Mr Mooney’s property he met a man he didn’t know.

He said he had met a number of Mr Mooney’s family including his son Travis and stepson Jeremy Johnson.

Mr Cameron said he had a short conversation with the man whom he described as being younger, of solid build, between 165cm and 172cm tall and with brown hair.

“I told him I had a special package for Tony. I told him to tell Tony to take care of it when he got back from Port Fairy,” he said.

“I don’t believe he saw the package. It was on the fridge by the time he arrived.”

Mr Cameron said he had agreed with Mr Mooney to put the strychnine in a shed fridge but he became worried when he saw the fridge was working and contained drinks and food.

“I was extremely concerned to put a dangerous substance in with food stuffs. I put it on top of the fridge,” he said.

In relation to the unknown man, Mr Cameron said: “I asked him what he was doing. He said he was going to do some gardening.”

Mr Cameron said he was concerned about Mr Mooney storing the strychnine safely. “I was angry with him. I told him he had to keep it 100 per cent under lock and key because of its toxicity. He didn’t perceive the need to keep it under lock and key,” he said.

“I demonstrated anger to get the point across, to store it safely. That he lock it in a steel cabinet and he hold the only key to that cabinet.”

Mr Cameron said he found the strychnine in a shed in the early 1990s after moving to his own property.

In Wednesday’s opening day of what is expected to be a two-week inquest, Coroner Jacinta Heffey heard Mr Mooney had ingested more than 400 milligrams of the poison, well in excess of the minimum fatal dose of 30mg.