QLD Police look at NSW case in possible deal for ‘serial killer’

A suspected serial killer could be granted immunity for the murders of two women in Queensland, with detectives examining an interstate case that allowed a man to walk free in exchange for information on the location of his victim’s grave.

A SUSPECTED serial killer could be offered immunity as police build a case for two more murder charges and examine a landmark NSW deal that allowed a man to walk free in exchange for revealing his boyfriend’s grave,

Derek Sam, who was jailed over the 1999 murder of 16-year-old Jessica Gaudie, has also been linked to the disappearances of British backpacker Celena Bridge and mother-of-two Sabrina Ann Glassop.

Derek Sam was jailed for the murder of teenager Jessica Gaudie, whose body has never been found.

The bodies of all three, who disappeared from the Sunshine Coast in 1998 and 1999, have never been found.

Detectives are continuing to work on a brief they will submit to the Department of Public Prosecutions to determine whether there is enough evidence to charge Sam with two more counts of murder.

But in a sign immunity over the murders of Ms Bridge and Ms Glassop in exchange for recovering the bodies is being closely investigated, The Courier-Mail can reveal they have consulted NSW detectives on the high-profile Matthew Leveson case.

Sam has been eligible for parole since 2016, but homicide detectives served him with paperwork informing him he was now subject to “no body, no parole” laws.

Teenage babysitter Jessica Gaudie disappeared in August 1999.

Police have theorised that the reason for Sam’s continued silence is that revealing the location of Jessica’s body could lead to the discovery of the other women’s remains.

Sam has always denied killing anyone.

Police have now consulted with their NSW counterparts over the Matthew Leveson case, which saw Michael Atkins, 45, granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for the recovery of the 20-year-old’s body.

Atkins was acquitted of murder by a jury in 2009 but was then compelled to give evidence at an inquest. During the inquest, detectives formed a view that Atkins could be charged with perjury for lying on the stand.

Perjury carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison in NSW.

Matthew’s parents, Mark and Faye, were approached by detectives and asked if they’d agree to a deal: immunity in exchange for their son’s body.

The Levesons say if a similar deal is put to the families of Jessica, Ms Bridge and Ms Glassop, it will be an incredibly difficult decision.

“We’ve always worked on the premise we will never tell anyone what to do,” Mark said.

“It’s an individual choice that everyone has to make themselves.

“Our goal was always to bring Matt home.”

Celena Bridge

Sabrina Glassop

Faye said an endless search for Matthew’s body was not a legacy she wanted to leave his two brothers.

“We don’t know how long we’ve got to go. Nobody does. But we didn’t want to pass and for them to continue looking,” she said.

“Not that they’d admit that they were going out and looking but in my heart I know that they were.

“We didn’t want to leave this for them and for them to worry where their brother is.”

She said despite her turmoil over seeing Atkins go free, they knew they’d made the right decision for their family.

“And that decision was very hard,” Faye said.

“I must admit. I didn’t want to go for the deal at first. I was against it. Our youngest was against it. But it was put to us that if we didn’t, it would be lose, lose. We’d never get Matty’s body back.

SES workers involved in the August 1999 search for Jessica Gaudie on the Sunshine Coast.

“And to me, to bring Matty home, not to be discarded like a piece of rubbish like he was, was the most important thing a mother could do.

“You don’t want to know that your son or your daughter’s out there.”

Sunshine Coast Detective Senior Sergeant Daren Edwards confirmed police were still working towards providing a report to the DPP on a potential murder prosecution for Ms Bridge and Ms Glassop.

But he said an immunity arrangement was “still an option”.

“At least it bought an outcome in the NSW case,” he said.

The families of the three women have expressed concerns about the possibility of Sam ever being released back into the community.

Originally published as QLD Police look at NSW case in possible deal for ‘serial killer’