Barefoot and dressed in blue overalls with red seams and hood covering his head, an 18-year-old Londonderry man faced Mudgee Local Court on Wednesday charged with the murder of Mudgee teenager Michelle Amanda Morrissey.
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Before a hushed courtroom, packed with media and friends of Miss Morrissey, Registrar Tony Goodwin announced the accused as Luke John Cotterill.
In a hearing lasting only a few minutes, Detective Inspector Russell Oxford from the Police Homicide Squad in Sydney appeared for the prosecution.
Cotterill was represented by Dubbo Aboriginal Legal Aid Service Solicitor Ms Nadine Miles who told the court there was “no need for the facts or antecedents” to be read to the court.
Ms Miles said there was no bail application and asked that the matter be adjourned to Bathurst Local Court by audiovisual link to receive briefs.
Inspector Oxford replied with the words “sounds good to me”.
Bail was formally refused and the matter adjourned to Bathurst Local Court by audiovisual link today before police led Mr Cotterill back to the police station.
Mr Cotterill was supported in court by family - three women, two who appeared to be teenagers, and a youth.
Seated in the dock, Cotterill turned to his family after police removed the towel that shielded his face from the waiting media and softly said “I love you”.
Meanwhile, police called on all available resources from Mudgee and many neighbouring stations to make an arrest in the case of Michelle Morrissey, according to Detective Inspector Russell Oxford.
“This was a very intense investigation and involved a lot of police and people from within the (Mudgee) community,” Inspector Oxford said after Mr Cotterill’s brief court appearance.
“It is a tragic case that has hit home to the community of Mudgee.
“All I can say is that I am satisfied that we have achieved a result in the matter and, certainly, there is a lot more work to be done.
“A lot of effort has gone into this and the first part of our job is done.”
Inspector Oxford said the accused was a man who lived in Londonderry but had some ties to the Mudgee area.
He said the Morrissey family was “absolutely devastated”.
“We have been dealing with them from day one and we will deal with them again today to provide whatever support we can, this an absolute tragedy,” he said.
