Sarah accused sits silent in court

The man charged with killing Sarah Cafferkey has been remanded in custody after a brief court appearance.

UPDATE: THE man accused of stabbing young woman Sarah Cafferkey to death and dumping her body in a wheelie bin sat silent in court this morning.

In an olive polo shirt and with a shag of bleach-blond hair, Steven James Hunter appeared briefly in Melbourne Magistrates' Court charged with murder.

His lawyer noted that the case had already received significant media attention and, while asking that Mr Hunter's street address be deleted from the charge sheet to be released to the media, he told Magistrate Donna Bakos he hoped the press would "be mindful" that Mr Hunter had now been charged.

Prosecutor Luke Exell said the police brief of evidence would be served on Mr Hunter's solicitors by February next year.

Mr Hunter sat staring into his lap during the procedural filing hearing.

With powerful arms, one bearing a visible tattoo, he stood when Ms Bakos addressed him.

She noted he had no custody management issues and had no intention of applying for bail.

Steven James Hunter is driven from the St Kilda Rd Police Station. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Homicide squad investigators made the breakthrough in the case about noon yesterday, tracking Mr Hunter to a flat in Caroline St, Hawthorn.

The heavily armed special operations group locked down the suburban street before telling Mr Hunter to come out with his hands up.

It took Mr Hunter less than a minute to emerge from the second-storey unit.

He was taken to the St Kilda Rd police complex for questioning.

An out-of-sessions hearing last night heard Mr Hunter fatally stabbed the 22-year-old with repeated blows at his Bacchus Marsh address on November 10.

Detective Sen-Constable Damien O'Mahoney told the court Mr Hunter made admissions about the killing.

A court sketch of Steven Hunter, 47, who has been charged with the murder of Sarah Cafferkey. Picture: Toy Mitchell

After he allegedly stabbed Ms Cafferkey, he moved her body the next day to Point Cook, where her body was found by police in a wheelie bin on Saturday.

Mr Hunter, with dyed blond hair, was wearing a police-issue white plastic suit, and was barefoot during the out-of-sessions hearing.

Mr Hunter's arrest came 11 days after Ms Cafferkey was last seen.

He and Ms Cafferkey were friends on Facebook, exchanging messages days before she vanished.

Mr Hunter will re-appear in court on March 27.

Hunter's neighbours today said that they had seen Ms Cafferkey's car at his unit several times in the past month. 

Police arrest a man in Hawthorn following the death of Sarah Cafferkey. The Herald Sun has obscured the man's face for legal reasons. Picture: Supplied

A woman said she had seen Ms Cafferkey and other young girls visiting Hunter's Bacchus Marsh property on many occasions.

"I just thought, what attracts you to go there? He's just an ugly old creep," the woman, who did not want to be named, said.

Another neighbour spoke of their shock of talking to him after the murder took place.

"I was just chatting to him right out there (outside her door) last Monday, and that was afterward, after what he'd done, and he could just chat like a neighbour," they said.

Neighbour Morgan Kriss said she was shocked at Ms Cafferkey's murder, and said Hunter was a "nice", quiet person.

"When we found out we were really shocked because he was such a nice person, just goes to show you looks can be deceiving," she said.

Publican from the Young & Main Hotel in Bacchus Marsh, David Bushell, said Ms Cafferkey and a man who looked like Hunter were at the pub on November 10, spending 20 minutes talking in the beer garden.

"They seemed to know each other," he said.

"They bought a drink and went to the beer garden."

Ms Cafferkey's distraught mother reported her missing on November 12, three days after she was at their Bacchus Marsh family home.

Her body was found at a Point Cook house after police executed a search warrant in Fongeo Drive on Saturday.

The swift arrest surprised residents and workers.

The body of Sarah Cafferkey was found in a house in Point Cook.

Tradesman Justin Pryor said Hunter was faced with up to a dozen armed officers.

"They were yelling out to a person to come out with nothing in their hands. I looked over the fence and there was two tactical response guys with guns and riot shields," he said.

"They repeated themselves maybe three or four times within 30 seconds and (he) was out."

Mr Pryor said police called on Hunter by name to come out.

"He didn't struggle or resist in anyway," he said.

A resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said she was shocked by the daylight raid in her quiet street.

Police at an apartment block in Caroline St, Hawthorn, after Hunter was arrested. Picture: Ian Currie

"It freaked me out. It was very scary."

With Anthony Dowsley, Andy Burns

anthony.dowsley@news.com.au

Flowers and letters left on the doorstep of Sarah Cafferkey's home in Bacchus Marsh. Picture: Chris Scott

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

Sarah accused sits silent in court

Dengan url

http://duniasikasik.blogspot.com/2012/11/sarah-accused-sits-silent-in-court.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

Sarah accused sits silent in court

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

Sarah accused sits silent in court

sebagai sumbernya