The case against a man extradited from NSW to Queensland over the alleged murder of his partner at Point Cartwright 30 years ago will be transferred to a Sunshine Coast court.
The body of Meaghan Louise Rose, a 25-year-old disability and aged care nursing assistant, was found on July 18, 1997 at the base of Point Cartwright cliff at Buddina on the Sunshine Coast.
Prosecutors allege Keith Lees, 72, murdered Ms Rose the previous day near the concrete lighthouse that stands at the top of the cliffs.
Lees’ murder charge was mentioned in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday after he was extradited from Sydney the previous day following a police search lasting 18 months across two states and the Northern Territory.
He was not required to appear in court in person or via videolink during the brief mention.
Defence solicitor Zane Playle applied for the case to be transferred to Maroochydore Magistrates Court within four to six weeks.
Police prosecutor Harry Coburn told Magistrate Lewis Shillito four weeks “was more than sufficient” and it could be done within two weeks.
Mr Shillito noted Lees had applied for legal aid but not bail.
The magistrate ordered the case be next mentioned on January 24 at Maroochydore Magistrates Court and remanded Lees in custody.
Defendants charged with murder in Queensland can only apply for bail in the Supreme Court.
The Maroochydore court is just over 5km across the headland from the lighthouse on Point Cartwright cliffs or a 10-minute drive through the coastal town.
Police believe Ms Rose left her unit on Keith Royal Drive at Marcoola, where she lived with Lees, at 8pm on July 17, 1997 and departed in her white 1995 Suzuki Chino hatchback.
She was found dead at the bottom of the Point Cartwright cliffs at 7am next day and her vehicle was located in a nearby car park.
Police stated in June 2023 initial investigations suggested her death was non-suspicious but information had come to light revealing suspicious circumstances and announced a $500,000 reward for more information.
According to court documents, Lees’ last known address was in a cluster of single-storey brick units beside a lagoon and RV park in Portland on Victoria’s southwest coast and his occupation was listed as “owner manager”.
Queensland detectives travelled to Victoria in June 2023 and spoke to Lees, before his car was found abandoned at Portland the next day.
Lees was later spotted in Geelong and Shepparton in Victoria before being arrested in Dural in NSW on January 2.
Detective Senior Sergeant Tara Kentwell said on Thursday Lees might have been unwittingly assisted by government and charity support during his time allegedly on the run.
“Police believe this man has been living in the Northern Territory and most recently in Dural under an assumed identity. He has received assistance from a number of organisations, including religious groups during this time,” she said.
Det Sen Sgt Kentwell said Lees was identified before his arrest by a community member who had listened to a podcast about Ms Rose’s cold case.
In charges dropped by prosecutors on Thursday, NSW Police alleged Lees spent about 18 months evading an arrest warrant by using a fake identity.
He was alleged to have used fake documentation including a driver’s licence, pensioner concession card, bank card and bank accounts.
Lees was allegedly receiving government welfare payments and subsidised housing under the alias, court documents revealed.
Queensland Police have confirmed the $500,000 reward remains on offer for information that leads to a conviction for Ms Rose’s murder.
“In addition to the reward, an appropriate indemnity from prosecution will be recommended for any accomplice, not being the person who actually committed the crime, who first gives such information,” they said in a statement on Thursday.
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