BIKER NEWS -- The former bikie accused of bludgeoning his ex-partner Tara Brown to death has been charged with the murder of missing...
BIKER NEWS -- The former bikie accused of bludgeoning his ex-partner Tara Brown to death has been charged with the murder of missing father-of-two Gregory Dufty.
Lionel Patea, 24, who was charged with the murder of the 24-year-old Gold Coast mother after allegedly running her off the road, is one of two men to be charged over Mr Dufty's death.
Ms Brown, who is the mother of Patea's child, died from her injuries after he allegedly used a cast iron fire hydrant to repeatedly hit her in the face in September.
Patea and a 27-year-old New Zealand man have been charged with murder and misconduct with a corpse following Mr Dufty's disappearance on July 6.
The 37-year-old father-of-two was last seen at his former partner's home in Ashmore, according to police.
He spent the day with his ex-partner and children, then left the house in a rented utility and never returned.
The father disappeared days after arriving on the Gold Coast from Darwin and police revealed that his body has still not been found.
Queensland detectives searched seven home and interviewed 14 people before making the arrests.
Three other men are currently being interviewed by police but haven't been charged.
Patea, who was already in custody, is set to face Southport Magistrates Court on November 11.
Police say the 24-year-old's bikie gang affiliation is not connected to the alleged crime.
The 27-year-old New Zealander was arrested in Auckland on Monday morning and will be extradited on Tuesday, before facing court on Wednesday.
As well as the murder charge, he has been charged with misconduct of a corpse.
The arrests came after police executed search warrants on seven addresses across the Gold Coast
Detective Inspector Dave Hutchinson said Mr Dufty's family had been notified of the arrests and said the search for the body would continue.
'We've got some ideas but it's fair to say at this time we don't know where the body is and we haven't been able to locate it,' he said.
'Certainly, we would dearly love to be able to locate the body and we would still make that public appeal; the fact that somebody's been charged makes no difference. We still believe there are people out there that know where the body is.'
It emerged in September that Patea was placed in protective custody over fears he could be a target of violence by inmates in prison over Ms Brown's death.
Police allege Patea was waiting at the childcare centre where Ms Brown dropped their daughter off before following her and forcing her to crash down an embankment.
He then allegedly beat her with a metal pole while she was still pinned in the car.
This article was first published on 2 November 2015
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