Beuen

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A 40-year-old man from Sydney's south-west has faced court, after becoming the third person charged over the murder of a prisoner seven years ago.

Matthew Robert Lawton was charged last night with conspiracy to murder Terry Falconer, who was allegedly abducted and killed while on day release from prison in 2001.

Falconer's body was found floating, cut up in bags, in a river on the NSW mid-north coast.

Lawton's arrest took place at Austral in Sydney's south-west last night, and comes after two other men were charged in relation to the alleged murder following a dramatic arrest at a North Sydney cafe last week.

He faced Liverpool Local Court today, where police also charged him with murder.

The accused did not apply for bail, and is being held in custody after the case was adjourned until March.

His lawyer Elias Matouk says his client is coping.

"At this stage, the instructions are to defend the matter," he said.

More arrests?
Police say they expect to make more arrests over the death of drug dealer Falconer, and there is a $300,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for his death.

The head of the Homicide Squad, Geoff Beresford, says the accused was arrested by Strike Force Tuno, which is in charge of the investigation.

"We are confident that we will charge other people in relation to this murder, and possibly some other murders that are all linked to this inquiry," he said.

"We've certainly been very happy with the amount of information that's been forthcoming since the announcement of recent rewards. That sort of information, coupled with the information we already had, certainly led to yesterday's arrest."

Strike Force Tuno is investigating up to 10 unsolved murders.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-01-28/man-faces-court-over-falconers-death/275402

Drug dealer 'died in metal box

Convicted amphetamines dealer Terry Falconer was drugged with chloroform, stuffed in a human-sized toolbox and left to die in blistering temperatures, one of his killers says.

Interview transcripts tendered in Sydney Central Local Court yesterday show former army commando Sean Waygood confessed to his involvement in the murder after police arrested him in late January.

The documents were tendered in court as part of Falconer's murder investigation.

Waygood was one of three men arrested for the murder. He has pleaded guilty to a raft of charges including kidnapping Falconer.

Waygood said he posed as a police officer and went to a smash repair shop in Sydney on November 16, 2001 with two other men where they "arrested" Falconer, who was on work release from Silverwater prison, the Daily Telegraph reports.

The 38-year-old told police he went to the shop at the request of Anthony Perish, the co-accused in the murder who was also arrested with Waygood on January 19.

In the police interview, Waygood said Perish wanted "to question [Falconer]" over an "outstanding monetary debt" and that he would be returned to the shop.

But police allege Perish asked Waygood to pick up Falconer because he was preparing to give evidence in the unsolved double murder of Perish's grandparents, Anthony Perish Sr and Frances Perish.

Perish allegedly saw Falconer's wife in the hours before the murder, where he was shown incriminating documents about his grandparent's murder.

Falconer was never seen alive again.

Waygood told police he bundled Falconer into a VT Holden Commodore sedan before drugging him with chloroform and locking him inside a large metal toolbox.

He and co-accused Matthew Lawton then drove Falconer to a property in Turramurra where Perish was waiting.

Waygood said he told Perish he was worried about Falconer as he had been in the box for some time and that it was "pretty hot inside the box".

Perish "had his hand on his gun and his eyes looked psychotic," according to Waygood.

The trio then drove Falconer 198km to Girvan on the NSW mid north coast. When they opened the box, Falconer was dead.

Fishermen found his body 10 days later in the Hastings River, chopped up and placed inside seven different garbage bags.

Waygood has pleaded guilty to 10 charges including conspiring and agreeing to murder, possessing unregistered firearms, being an accessory after the fact to murder, kidnapping and attempting to discharge loaded firearms.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/822017/drug-dealer-died-in-a-human-toolbox
 
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