Sex worker on charges over man’s hotel death

A CAIRNS sex worker is due to face court this morning charged with causing the death of a Brisbane businessman whose body was found in a Cairns hotel.

Police will allege Anthony Brady, 52, died in suspicious circumstances during a work trip to the Far North last week.

His body was located by police in the Sunshine Tower Hotel in Sheridan Street in the Cairns CBD on Friday, the day after worried family reported him missing when he failed to make his flight home.

A 32-year-old woman, who was originally named a “person of interest” in the case, was taken into custody at a Jensen Street residence in Manoora yesterday morning and has been charged with manslaughter. She is due to appear in Cairns Magistrates Court on Monday.

Mr Brady worked as an auditor for service stations and flew into Cairns last Monday.

His cousin, Ian Brady, spoke out on behalf of the devastated family, describing him as a “great cousin”.

“All I will say is he was a great cousin, a loyal and loving husband and a man who loved his job,” he said.

Police launched a major investigation into his disappearance, tracking his movements from the Esplanade hotel he was staying at to a nearby service station on Wednesday night. They have seized CCTV as part of their investigation and spoke with numerous nearby businesses. The hotel where his body was found is just 650m from the Cairns Plaza Hotel, where he had been staying.

Detective Acting Inspector Smith said Mr Brady’s body had been at the hotel “at least 24 hours” before being discovered by police.

He said a post mortem examination was also being carried out, which would “reveal more information to police” in regards to his death.