DUMP AND RUN
Police: Couple drove dead man 4km, put him against fence and phoned triple-0
A GOLD Coast couple is accused of driving a dead body four kilometres from their house and phoning for an ambulance from a nearby payphone to come pick him up. It is alleged that when the man failed to wake in the morning he was given a cold shower and CPR. When the couple realised he was dead from an overdose, they are accused of dragging him into the car, driving into a neighbouring suburb, leaning the body against a timber fence, calling QAS at a nearby payphone, giving brief details about a person there and that they needed medical assistance, and hanging up. A top lawyer says he has heard of the police charge only twice in 40 years.
A GOLD Coast couple is accused of driving a dead body four kilometres from their house and phoning for an ambulance from a nearby payphone to come pick him up.
Police allege the man was staying with the couple on a visit from NSW in December 2017.
It is alleged that when the man failed to wake in the morning he was given a cold shower and CPR.
Police allege that when the couple realised he was dead from an overdose, they dragged him into the car, drove him four kilometres into a neighbouring suburb, leaned the body against a timber fence, called QAS at a nearby payphone, gave brief details about a person there and that they need medical assistance, and hung up.
The pair were this month charged with one count each of interfering with a corpse.
Detective Inspector Chris Ahearn said police began an investigation before getting to the point where they could charge them.
“The police have then declared a crime scene and the investigations followed. We have got to the point now where we can charge them with that (interfering with a corpse).”
Police allege in court documents that one of the accused “improperly offered an indignity to a dead human body”.
Veteran Gold Coast criminal lawyer Bill Potts said the term meant doing anything to a corpse that diminished, degraded, or interfered with the ordinary state of a body.
He said the charge was “extraordinarily rare” and he had only come across it twice in his 40 years of practice.
“Where you offer an indignity to a corpse, the only people who generally do that are people who work in morgues, some medical students, and rarely people who are close to the deceased.”
Mr Potts said the maximum penalty for the offence was five years prison, which was “substantial”.
One of the accused was due to appear in court last week but the appearance was adjourned to March.
They remain in custody. The co-accused has previously been granted bail and will appear in court again next month.