She's just five foot two, but Andrea "Andy" Olson says she jumped on the back of Kenneth Brotherston Sr. when he pinned her boyfriend, Keith Taylor, to the ground.

"I jumped on him like you would piggy-back someone," Olson said. "He turned and looked at me, and turned back and continued hitting Keith."

The testimony came yesterday at the end of the second week of the B.C. Supreme Court murder trial of former Highlands councillor Kenneth Sr. and his two sons, 33-year-old Kenneth Jr. and 27-year-old Gregory.

They are charged with second-degree murder in Taylor's May 30, 2008 death. The sons also face assault charges, including one against Kenneth Jr. Olson said she jumped in even though Kenneth Brotherston Jr. was holding a gun -- which she assumed was Keith's gun -- waving it around and telling people to stay back.

Olson said she was punched in the face by Kenneth Jr., and retreated into the house.

While Olson spoke clearly under questioning from Crown counsel Carmen Rogers, the Brotherstons' defence lawyers questioned her credibility. She was asked repeatedly about inconsistencies between her court testimony and what she said in her June 2008 police statement and during the trial's preliminary hearing last January.

She fought back tears at times as the afternoon session wore on.

Defence lawyer Steven Kelliher said in Olson's 2008 statement to police, a few days after Taylor's death, while telling police about jumping on Kenneth Sr. she referred to the fact that she usually carried a knife.

"I was going to take his eyes out," the statement said. "He's lucky -- I usually have my knife on me at all times."

Kelliher asked if she would have stabbed Kenneth Sr. if she'd had a knife. "I don't know what I would have done," she replied.

The incident involving Taylor and Brotherstons took place at a house on Betula Place in Colwood. Taylor, Olson and several other people were at the home over a period of a day or two, and earlier testimony has indicated drug consumption -- particularly of crack cocaine -- was prevalent.

But Olson, who was a crack user at the time and admits to still being an addict, said she stayed largely in one room and

didn't know about anyone else's drug use, except for friend Alan Arsenault. Defence lawyer Dale Marshall said Olson was trying to safeguard Taylor's reputation.

Marshall said Olson did the same thing at the preliminary hearing, where she said Taylor was not a drug dealer, even though he was. She agreed with Marshall that she said it "to protect Keith."

"You'd do anything to protect Keith, wouldn't you," Marshall asked.

"Yes," Olson replied.

"Lie?" he asked.

"Yes," she said.

jwbell@tc.canwest.com