Sydney man Derek Barrett has been formally refused bail after being charged with the murder of his niece Mengmei ‘Michelle’ Leng, as more details of the Chinese international student’s death have been released.
Barrett, 27, allegedly stabbed Leng over 20 times at their home in Campsie. An autopsy revealed numerous wounds suggesting Leng acted in self-defence before being killed. Police are awaiting test results to determine if a sexual assault took place.
Following her death, it is claimed Barrett drove her body to Lake Munmorah national park on the New South Wales Central Coast; police believe CCTV footage shows Barrett’s car entering the area, two hours away from the home, at 7am last Sunday.
A tourist found her body floating face-down in a blowhole in the vicinity last Sunday.
According to Leng’s family in China, her “distraught beyond belief” mother is currently staying in Sydney to attend the next hearing at Burwood Local Court on May 4.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald / ABC.
Photo: Instagram.
