CASES THAT SHOOK US
A man who died after allegedly having his leg amputated with a circular saw, a 14-year-old boy charged with murder after a party got out of hand, and a father charged with murder and torture of his five-year-old son were among alleged crimes that shocked us in 2022.
MAN DIES AFTER LEG SAWN OFF
PERHAPS the most shocking incident was in February, when Vanuatuan fruit picker John Yalu, 36, allegedly used a circular saw to amputate the leg of 66-year-old grandfather Kalman Tal in Innisfail.
Police have alleged the grandfather arranged to pay Mr Yalu (right) $5000 to remove his leg with his own circular saw.
Police allege that at 3.48am on February 19, the pair drove to Fitzgerald Park at Innisfail, where Mr Yalu used a circular saw to cut Mr Tal’s leg off at the knee.
Mr Tal was found by two pedestrians at 4.23am and an ambulance was called.
He died a short time later. Mr Yalu, 36, was charged with murder and is in custody.
It is understood police are investigating whether Mr Tal suffered from a rare neurological disorder that made him feel compelled to have a body part removed.
TEEN DIES OF STAB WOUNDS AT OUT-OF-CONTROL PARTY
THE year 2022 began sadly when Jayden Dau, 17, was allegedly murdered in a wild brawl at a New Year party.
A 14-year-old boy from Edmonton was charged with murder.
The party allegedly turned violent after being shared on social media.
Mr Dau never recovered from a knife wound to the stomach. Mother Harriet Dau said her boy, with the world at his feet, had just got his driver’s licence and was applying for construction work before his young life was cut short.
“I am never going to see my kid,” she said.
SUNSET STABBING
A 20-YEAR-OLD Cairns North woman was charged with attempted murder following the stabbing of her 39-year-old mother on busy Cairns Esplanade on November 24.
Isabella Aneta Cisarova was remanded in custody with the case adjourned to January 30 in Cairns Magistrates Court.
Acting Inspector Alina Bell alleged the 20-year-old stabbed her mother in the throat.
A crime scene was declared, shutting down a section of the Cairns Esplanade outside ritzy Crystalbrook Riley as the bloodied 39-year-old woman was rushed to hospital.
Ms Cisarova was taken into custody at the scene.
ALLEGED STABBING MURDER
NATHAN Andrew Shane Morris, 19, was arrested and charged with murder after the alleged brutal stabbing of a 34-year-old man at a home in Caravonica on October 7.
He has been remanded in custody. Detective Inspector Mick Searle said when police arrived at the address at 9.20pm they found the alleged victim suffering from stab wounds.
He died about 10pm. Neighbour Wayne St John, 64, said he heard a woman screaming before he ran outside to see if she needed help.
“She was screaming out on the driveway of the house,” Mr St John said.
“There was a woman with her who was on the phone, and then silence.
“Then police and ambulance turned up, and the detectives,” he said.
ALLEGED ARSON AT MAREEBA
MULTIPLE bushfires broke out at Mareeba on September 27 ad 37year-old local Danny Pietrograzia was subsequently charged with 12 counts of setting fire to vegetation.
His case has been adjourned for committal mention at Mareeba Magistrates Court on March 27.
He was granted bail following an appearance on October 18.
Mr Pietrograzia was initially remanded in custody on September 29 when he first applied for bail.
The fires close to properties caused an emergency declaration to be made under the Public Safety Preservation Act (PSPA).
Many residents were forced to evacuate.
Hundreds of hectares of bushland and crops were destroyed by the fires, with more than 100 firefighters working to help extinguish them.
The unusual fires led investigators to determine the cause as suspicious and the warrant was issued to search a property on Narcotic Creek
Rd at Chewko.
SUPERYACHT CAPTAIN’S EXTRADITION
POLICE prosecutors swooped on James Blake Blee, 62, who is facing charges of being allegedly involved over a $20m cocaine smuggling incident, at Cairns Airport on May 11.
He had a one-way ticket to Singapore and a very large amount of cash, police prosecutor Sophie Gorrick told the Cairns Magistrates Court.
Mr Blee was extradited to NSW to face charges.
Police allege the globetrotting superyacht agent accused of being the mastermind behind an audacious plot to smuggle 100kg of cocaine into the country on the hull of a cargo ship provided a Brazilian diver with faulty scuba gear that led to his death.
The diver was found floating in the water at Newcastle, surrounded by 54kg of cocaine bricks, and attempts to revive him at the scene failed.
Cairns-based Mr Blee has been charged with manslaughter, two counts of people-smuggling and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.
FATHER CHARGED WITH DEATH OF FIVE-YEAR-OLD
On August 16, five-year-old Caiden Chase Allen was taken to the Yarrabah Hospital with life-threatening injuries and was flown to Townsville Hospital in a critical condition. Caiden never recovered from injuries sustained during what police allege was a “brutal assault” and he died on August 22.
His father, Jason Ross Allan Fourmile (above), 24, has been charged with murder, torture, grievous bodily harm, two charges of assaults occasioning bodily harm and two charges of assaults occasioning bodily harm while armed in company. Mr Fourmile has been remanded in custody.
ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGE
A 32-year-old Innisfail man was remanded in custody after being charged with attempted murder.
Police allege Eli Tavunwo stabbed a 23-year-old woman in Innisfail after an alleged altercation on November 12.
Police allege about 11pm he went to the police station with a wound to his hand.
A crime scene was established at a nearby address.
The woman was found nearby with wounds to her upper body.