Five Task Force Southern accused front court charged in connection to murder of Robert Atkins

Four of the five people accused of the grisly murder of Robert Atkins have been identified in an Adelaide court, just a day after police revealed their arrests.

Robert Atkins is believed to have been murdered. Picture: SA Police

A murder victim was allegedly stripped bare, hog tied and subjected to a “deliberate and systematic series of assaults” in the week before he was killed – on instructions from a man via prison phone calls, a court has heard.

Five people arrested as part of a Task Force Southern investigation into the murder of missing man Robert Atkins each appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday afternoon.

Five people – who are each charged with offences of detaining a person to commit an indictable offence and causing harm with intent – were arrested on Wednesday afternoon.

Cameron Stuart. Picture: Facebook

Clinton Turvey who has been charged in relation to Operation Task Force Southern. Picture: Facebook

One of those charged, Sean Clive Phypers, 32, of Northfield, is also charged with Mr Atkins’ murder.

The other accused are Cameron Lachlan Stuart, 33, of Christies Beach, Clinton Arthur Turvey, 43, of Adelaide, Mikhael Joseph Brereton, 32, of Christie Downs and a woman, 25, whose identity is suppressed.

During a bail application for Mr Brereton, the court heard allegations Mr Stuart had given directions to members of the group to harm Mr Atkins via recorded phone calls from prison.

Opposing bail, police prosecutor Stuart Rees told the court Mr Atkins, 29, was last seen at Port Pirie on November 16, 2020 and in the week prior had been subjected to a series of brutal assaults because of a “perceived drug debt”.

“We say that (Mr Atkins) was detained, subjected to quite serious assaults and that was a quite deliberate and systematic series of assaults,” he said.

He said that witnesses had seen Mr Atkins at Mr Brereton’s Christie Downs home in the week before the alleged murder, where some of the alleged attacks were caught on video.

He alleged Mr Brereton was personally involved in two separate attacks on Mr Atkins, including one involving a metal pole and another where he struck Mr Atkins to the head with a frying pan. He said Mr Brereton had admitted to both incidents during interviews with police.

Sean Clive Phypers who was charged with the murder of Robert Atkins by Task Force Southern Detectives. Picture: Facebook

“This defendant spent most of his days and nights watching, controlling and assaulting the victim in company with several of the co-accused,” he said.

Mr Rees said Brereton had been introduced to Mr Atkins in the month before his death on instruction of Mr Stuart, while he was in custody.

“This defendant and several of the co-accused all received instructions via the prison telephone system from Stuart to orchestrate the detention of Atkins. Each of the co-accused played an active part in that,” he said.

“The victim was repeatedly assaulted … there are also allegations of him being hogtied, money taken from his bank account and transferred to some of the co-accused during the detention.”

He said Mr Atkins had also been stripped of his clothing during the alleged ordeal.

Scott Jelbert, for Mr Brereton, said his client would be contesting the charges and said his parents could act as guarantors, if granted release on bail.

Task Force Southern is searching for the firearm believed to be used in the murder of Robert Atkins. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Emma Brasier

Magistrate Michael Barnett ordered a home detention report, ahead of a decision on bail next week.

None of the other co-accused sought release on bail and were each remanded in custody until October.

Mr Atkins’ mother reported him missing on January 2, 2021, after she did not hear from him for two months.

His remains are yet to be found. Police believe they have been buried in the state’s Mid North.

Task Force Southern was launched in December 2021 to probe the alleged murders of Jeff Mundy, Robert Atkins and Trevor King and has also netted a number of drug-related arrests.

At a press conference announcing the arrests on Wednesday, Major Crime operations inspector Brett Featherby said the two-year investigation into Mr Atkins’ murder had been “long and challenging”.