Guard set for murder charge: [2 All-round First Edition 1]
Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 02 Aug 2004: 3.
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Abstract
Angered by weekend reports on the death, police yesterday issued a dramatic ultimatum to Ms [Karen Brown] to attend the local station by 6pm last night. But she failed to show. Ms Brown shot dead William Aquilina, 25, after he hit her across the head with knuckledusters and robbed her of more than $30,000 worth of takings from a nearby hotel in western Sydney last Monday.
Police said if they were unable to locate Ms Brown, and were granted court leave to begin proceedings today, the case would be sub judice and Today Tonight would be unable to screen the interview.
Liverpool local area commander Terry Jacobsen said either Ms Brown “surrenders herself to Liverpool police station and tells us anything she wants us to hear or we will proceed to issue a court attendance notice for murder”.
Full Text
SYDNEY security guard Karen Brown faces a murder charge after she gave a paid television interview but failed to speak to police about a shooting last week.
Angered by weekend reports on the death, police yesterday issued a dramatic ultimatum to Ms Brown to attend the local station by 6pm last night. But she failed to show. Ms Brown shot dead William Aquilina, 25, after he hit her across the head with knuckledusters and robbed her of more than $30,000 worth of takings from a nearby hotel in western Sydney last Monday.
Police are expected to appear this morning in Liverpool Local Court to seek a “court attendance notice for murder”.
Despite the fact she said she was too ill to speak to police until tomorrow, Ms Brown gave a paid interview to the Seven Network. She also spoke to The Sunday Telegraph newspaper.
Sources suggest Ms Brown was paid about $100,000 for the interview with Seven’s Today Tonight.
The Sunday Telegraph put her on the front page and Today Tonight will screen her interview tonight.
Police, angered by the developments, said they had taken on face value claims by Ms Brown’s legal representative that she was not well enough to be interviewed. She has a fractured skull, eye socket and nose.
Police said if they were unable to locate Ms Brown, and were granted court leave to begin proceedings today, the case would be sub judice and Today Tonight would be unable to screen the interview.
Liverpool local area commander Terry Jacobsen said either Ms Brown “surrenders herself to Liverpool police station and tells us anything she wants us to hear or we will proceed to issue a court attendance notice for murder”.
Because police were unable to locate Ms Brown, if they failed to serve the notice they would seek leave to file the notice in court without prior service.
“If we are granted that leave, criminal proceedings will have been commenced and the matter will be sub judice, and Today Tonight will need something else to fill the timeslot,” he said.
“We would still wish to hear from Ms Brown before we make a final decision whether to proceed on murder charges. However, the evidence to date, which excludes any possible exculpatory evidence, is sufficient in my view to establish a prima facie case of murder.”
Superintendent Jacobsen said nothing would have been achieved by arresting Ms Brown on the day of the shooting because of her condition. “We had every reason to believe she was seriously injured, and we have accepted in good faith what we have been told by her legal adviser,” he said.
Seven denied suggestions the network had “squirrelled away” Ms Brown.
Aquilina had lived with his grandparents for the past eight years. His grandfather, former policeman Frank Rasmussen, told The Australian: “He was murdered … in cold blood.”
Ms Brown did not return phone calls yesterday.
Seven refused to reveal how much it had paid Ms Brown for the interview.