Cop gets emotional at stabbing inquest

A senior police officer has given emotional evidence of preparing the family of slain teenager Christie Marceau for the possibility her killer might visit their home while on bail.

Marceau, 18, was fatally stabbed in her family home on the North Shore in 2011 by Akshay Chand.

‘‘Even though [Chand] was on curfew he could probably still get there before the police,’’ Detective Aaron Iremonger told an inquest into her death yesterday.

‘‘I advised [Christie’s mother] to be vigilant, and to keep the door locked and make the rest of the house secure.’’

Iremonger was the officer in charge of the initial kidnapping case against Chand, who threatened 18-year-old Marceau at knifepoint in 2011.

Months later Chand was bailed less than 1km from Marceau’s home, and he returned to the house to kill her. Marceau died in her mother’s arms. Iremonger was visibly distressed and took some time to compose himself as he read his brief of evidence.

He said after discovering Chand had been granted bail, by Judge David McNaughton in the North Shore District Court, he phoned Marceau’s mother Tracey to apologise.

‘‘I apologised to her for the unsatisfactory bail conditions and said that we as police did everything we could to oppose Chand’s bail,’’ he said.

Police had vehemently opposed the bail, and earlier senior prosecutor Adam Pell told the court of his efforts to ensure Chand remained in custody.

‘‘[The strong opposition] was because of the direct risk I saw it posing to her,’’ Pell said.

Asked by Tracey Marceau whether it was likely Chand would go to their North Shore home, Iremonger deemed it unlikely.

‘‘I answered, not likely, but at the same time you could not rule it out as noone really knows what these people are thinking and there is still the risk he could go over.’’

While on annual leave two weeks later Iremonger discovered Chand had murdered Marceau.

The police prosecutor who strongly opposed Chand’s bail said he was concerned to hear Chand had reapplied for bail after an earlier attempt failed.

Senior police prosecutor Adam Pell said he vigorously opposed Chand’s release from custody after hearing Chand’s admissions to police that he wanted revenge against Marceau, who he felt had wronged him.

Chand applied for bail in September 2011, which was declined, but was successful in a subsequent application in October 2011.

Pell told the inquest that at Chand’s first application for bail he, on behalf of the police force, strongly opposed the application.

He brought to Judge Barbara Morris’ attention the seriousness of the charges, Chand’s admissions to police that he wanted revenge on Marceau, that the motive for the offending hadn’t gone away, and Marceau’s own fears for her safety.

Pell said he had marked on his sheet that bail was declined by Judge Morris, and was concerned weeks later when Chand’s lawyer indicated another bail application would be made.

‘‘I found this very odd and asked what was the change of circumstances,’’ Pell said in his brief of evidence.

Chand’s lawyer said there had been no change, and that bail hadn’t been rejected in the first place.

Chand was later found not guilty of Marceau’s murder by reason of insanity, and is a patient at the Mason Clinic.