The Borneo Post

Policeman charged with murder of Australian TV presenter, boyfriend

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Australian police on Friday charged one of their own officers with the double murder of a TV presenter and his flight a endant boyfriend, whose bodies have yet to be found.

Detective Superinten­dent Danny Doherty said a 28-yearold serving police constable was charged with two counts of murder, a€er a high-profile threeday search across Sydney.

Earlier this week, the chance discovery of bloodied clothes in a suburban rubbish bin led detectives to the home of former red carpet host and entertainm­ent journalist Jesse Baird, 26.

On searching Baird's inner-city flat, detectives said they found "a large amount of blood" and held "grave concerns" for both him and his boyfriend, Qantas flight a endant Luke Davies, 29. The pair are presumed dead. A projectile found at the apartment matched that of a police-issue firearm.

The weapon has since been found inside a police station safe.

The accused officer was said to have been in a relationsh­ip with Baird until recently, when it ended badly.

Baird had been a presenter on Australia's Network Ten.

On Friday the officer turned himself in to Bondi Police Station, near the country's famed beach.

Footage of the arrest shows him handcuffed and escorted into the building wearing a dark baseball cap and sneakers.

He remains in custody and police will oppose granting bail.

Australian media reported that the suspect had been a celebrity chaser and blogger before joining the police force, and had been photograph­ed with Taylor Swi€, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Ben Stiller and scores of others.

He was previously investigat­ed over the aggressive tasering of an Aboriginal man in 2020, a€er video of the incident emerged online.

News reports from 2014 indicate that he came out publicly as gay by throwing a le er onstage at a Lady Gaga concert, which the star read out to a crowd that included his sister.

 ?? — AFP photo ?? This frame grab taken from video footage provided by Australian Broadcast Corporatio­n via AFPTV shows New South Wales police officers a ending a home in the Sydney suburb of Paddington a†er the suspicious disappeara­nce of a TV presenter and his boyfriend.
— AFP photo This frame grab taken from video footage provided by Australian Broadcast Corporatio­n via AFPTV shows New South Wales police officers a ending a home in the Sydney suburb of Paddington a†er the suspicious disappeara­nce of a TV presenter and his boyfriend.

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