A tradie has been arrested by police after a 12-hour standoff on a cliff over the suspected murder of a 31-year-old woman who was found dead in Cranebrook, NSW.
Ashley Gaddie, 33, was cornered by police at Fletcher’s Lookout in the Blue Mountains at about 12pm on Tuesday. Police said he was standing on the wrong side of safety barriers when officers tried to “engage the man in conversation”. 7 News captured images of Gaddie clinging to the side of a cliff face during a police operation.
“Police negotiators attended and engaged the man in conversation before he was arrested about 12am [on Wednesday],” NSW Police said in a statement.
“The 33-year-old man is expected to undergo assessment before being taken to Katoomba Police Station, where he will be charged with murder.”
Gaddie was wanted over the alleged murder of Dannielle Finlay-Jones, who was found dead with serious head injuries at a friend’s home in Cranebrook.
The Daily Mail reported the two met on a dating app and were out with friends at a pub before heading back to one friends’ home.
The publication reported Finlay-Jones and Gaddie stayed the night. The next day, friends found Finlay-Jones body and Gaddie was gone.
Dannielle-Finlay Jones is the 10th woman to be killed in Australia over the last 20 days.
She worked for the NSW Department of education and was its Director of Female Football.
According to news.com.au, she was well-regarded in the soccer community and encouraged dozens of women to play the sport.
“Some 25 years ago, when I started out at Ramsgate RSL Football Club, as a female footballer, we didn’t have female-only teams so I was playing with the boys up until I was 12-years-old,’ she said in a speech last year, per news.com.au.
“Fast-forward to today and we have fielded female-only teams from under six all the way through to all-aged women. What an achievement.
“We continue to make strides within the community and push forward to promote female footballers. Go the girls.”
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