Paul Grapsas death: Homicide detectives charge Belmont man, 18, with murder

A Belmont teenager has been charged with murder following the death of a beloved father in central Geelong.

There has been an arrest made in the suspicious death of Geelong dad Paul Grapsas.

A Belmont teenager charged with the murder of a father in central Geelong has fronted Geelong Magistrates Court.

Police allege Bailey Clifford killed Paul Grapsas, 40, near his Western Beach Rd home on September 15.

Mr Clifford was arrested on Ocean Grove on Tuesday.

The 18-year-old fronted court on Wednesday charged with murder and did not make an application for bail.

The accused held his head down during the proceeding and appeared to be emotional, covering his mouth when prosecutors were discussing the next stages of the case.

Police prosecutor First Constable Alex Turner said prosecutors were seeking 14 weeks to prepare a hand up brief as they needed to review about 500 hours of CCTV footage and a pathological investigation report.

Mr Turner told the court the nature of the charges were extremely serious and said police would also need to analyse between 20-50 exhibits.

He said the cause of death would be determined through a pathological investigation report.

“The official cause of death must be recognised by defence and must be determined so an appropriate defence can be prepared,” he said.

Mr Clifford’s lawyer, Stephanie Mawby said she recognised there was a lengthy amount of materials and investigation that needed to be conducted in the alleged murder.

She also said it was in the interest of justice to fast track the matter.

Ms McGarvie granted the application for a hand up brief in 14 weeks.

“I think that Victoria Police should be given that time so they can serve the hand up brief with all the information required,” Ms McGarvie said.

“As indicated, this is the most serious charge that can be faced by anyone in the community,” she said.

Mr Clifford was remanded in custody until January 30 for a committal mention.

Mr Grapsas, a father-of-two, had been out walking his dog late on Thursday night but never returned home.

He was found dead on Malone St by his wife about 4am the following day.

It’s believed he had suffered severe head injuries.

Investigators are asking anyone who lives in the area or was driving through to please contact police if they have any CCTV or dashcam footage.

The Geelong Advertiser made a media application to access the charges and summary, however the request for the summary was denied.

Magistrate Ann McGarvie said she wouldn’t grant the release of the summary until the matter had progressed through the court.

Originally published as Paul Grapsas death: Homicide detectives charge Belmont man, 18, with murder