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Blowhole murder: Man charged over death of international student Blowhole murder: bail denied for uncle charged over death of student
(about 4 hours later)
A 27-year-old man will appear in a New South Wales court charged with the murder of international student Michelle Leng, whose naked body was found floating face down in a blowhole on the state’s Central Coast last weekend. A man accused of stabbing his wife’s niece to death and dumping her body in a blowhole on the NSW Central Coast has faced court.
Police say the man, whom Fairfax Media have identified as Leng’s uncle, was arrested and charged on Friday and has been refused bail to appear at Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday. International student Mengmei Leng’s naked body was discovered floating face down in foamy waters at Snapper Point last weekend, with stab wounds later revealing she’d allegedly suffered a violent attack.
Police have also appealed for help in establishing Leng’s final movements. Leng’s accused killer, her 27-year-old uncle Derek Barrett, was formally refused bail at Parramatta Local Court on Saturday to reappear on Wednesday, May 4.
They say the 25-year-old, whose body was found at Snapper Point last Sunday, had been stabbed numerous times in a violent attack. Originally from Chengdu in China, Leng and moved to Sydney five years ago where she completed a Bachelors degree in business at the University of Technology Sydney.
Originally from Chengdu in China, Leng also went by the name Mengmei and moved to Sydney five years ago where she completed a Bachelors degree in business at the University of Technology Sydney.
CCTV footage from last Thursday afternoon shows her walking through St James train station carrying her shopping bags and a takeaway juice before arriving at Campsie Station at 4.30pm, her last known whereabouts.CCTV footage from last Thursday afternoon shows her walking through St James train station carrying her shopping bags and a takeaway juice before arriving at Campsie Station at 4.30pm, her last known whereabouts.
Leng never turned up to the Campsie house where she lived with her aunt and uncle. They reported her missing on Monday and a concerned friend posted images of her on Chinese social media site Weibo the following day.Leng never turned up to the Campsie house where she lived with her aunt and uncle. They reported her missing on Monday and a concerned friend posted images of her on Chinese social media site Weibo the following day.
When police released a computer-generated image of the deceased woman found at Snapper Point, many people suggested it could be Leng and began posting RIP messages on social media.When police released a computer-generated image of the deceased woman found at Snapper Point, many people suggested it could be Leng and began posting RIP messages on social media.
Her body was formally identified through DNA testing on Friday.Her body was formally identified through DNA testing on Friday.
Police want to speak to anyone who might have seen or spoken to Leng over the Anzac Day long weekend. Police will allege Barrett murdered the 25-year-old over the weekend while his wife was away.
“I think if anyone knows anything about this – it’s like a piece to a jigsaw puzzle – if you’ve got any information as to her movements, come forward,” Det Ch Insp Gary Jubelin told reporters in Sydney on Friday. It will be alleged his mobile phone was intercepted at Doyalson, less than 10km from where the woman’s body was located, just 25 minutes before she was found on Sunday morning.
He revealed Leng had been communicating with friends until the late hours of Thursday night and speculated she might have planned to meet up with someone she had met online. It’s understood he was originally from the Central Coast town of Gwandalan, about 9km from the blowhole popular among tourists and fishers.Barrett said nothing when he appeared in court via videolink wearing blue overalls on Saturday.
“There’s a lot of speculation through social media about her activities – at this stage they’re lines of inquiry we’re following up,” Jubelin said. “She was a very responsible young lady and it was out of character for her not to stay in contact with people close to her.” His next appearance has been set down for Burwood Local Court.
Her family, including her brother and mother in China, are devastated. Leng’s mother has flown into Sydney from China as family and friends mourn her following the shocking news of her death.
“Speaking to the brother, he was shocked by it and in a lot of pain, so they’re dealing with it as best they can, but it’s a very sad situation,” Jubelin said.