Teen accused of murder of homeless man refused bail
A TEENAGER accused of the “seemingly unprovoked” murder of a vulnerable homeless man living in his car after being scammed out of his life savings by a Thai lover has been refused bail after almost a year behind bars.
NSW
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A TEENAGER accused of the horrific murder of a vulnerable homeless man living in his car has been refused bail after almost a year behind bars.
Jacksun Travers, 19, made the bail application this week in the NSW Supreme Court after he was last year charged with the brutal murder of Peter Hofmann, a retired bus driver who resorted to living out of his car after he was scammed out of his life savings by a Thai lover.
His brother Ray, 21, has also been charged with the killing. Both are expected to enter pleas later this week.
Today at the NSW Supreme Justice Stephen Rothman called the alleged murder “very nasty” and a “seemingly unprovoked attack on a person who had fallen on bad times and was living in his car”.
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“Whoever committed the felony broke into the car, stabbed the deceased from which stab wounds he died,” he said.
He said cause had not been shown as to why Jacksun Travers should be granted bail.
However he warned this could change. Yesterday Jacksun Travers’ barrister Ertunc Ozen told the court five scheduled legal visits had been cancelled at Long Bay Jail which had severely hampered their preparation for the defence case. This was due to issues like staffing. Mr Ozen called it an “unacceptable handicap”.
Justice Rothman said that Jacksun Travers was entitled to a reasonable opportunity to prepare and present the case made against him.
“That opportunity has not been given. It is an appalling state of affairs,” he said.
He said they heard “daily” about overcrowding in jails and the difficulties this created.
“When the effect of the non-allocation of resources is such it puts in jeopardy the criminal justice system, injustice results,” he said.
The court heard that police will allege Jacksun Travers’ DNA was found in blood on the outside window of the car where Mr Hofmann was killed. They will also allege that his DNA was found on a cigarette butt in the footwell of Mr Hofmann’s car. Mr Hofmann was not a smoker, the court heard.
“The cigarette butt may have indeed been picked up on the foot of the deceased and deposited unwillingly and unknowingly without even involvement of the applicant,” Justice Rothman said. He said that just because Jacksun Travers’ DNA was found on the outside of the car, it did not necessarily place him on the inside of the car.
“It seems to me the Crown case is not the strongest case, but I wouldn’t describe it as a weak Crown case,” Justice Rothman said.