Brother of Gold Coaster Lionel Patea charged over disappearance and murder of Greg Dufty
FIVE men have now been charged with the murder of Gold Coast father Greg Dufty – including two Gold Coast brothers.
Crime and Court
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THE brother of Lionel Patea has been charged over the disappearance and murder of Gold Coast father Greg Dufty.
Nelson Patea, 22, was arrested by Sydney Homicide Detectives yesterday morning.
He has been extradited to the Gold Coast, following an extradition hearing in Waverly Court House yesterday.
Nelson did not apply for bail yesterday but is expected to apply on the Gold Coast this afternoon.
He arrived at the Southport Watchhouse just before 2pm accompanied by four plain clothes police.
The younger brother of Lionel Patea, who has also been charged with Dufty’s murder, had lived in Sydney for a short time before his arrest, moving there to work as a labourer.
It is believed police will allege Nelson and Lionel were the key players in the murder of 37-year-old.
Nelson’s lawyer, Campbell McCallum, said his client maintained he was innocent.
“We will need to go over the evidence the police have,” he said. “But he has indicated to me that he has no case to answer.”
Clinton Stockman, 28, who was previously charged with accessory after the fact, yesterday had his charges upgraded to murder and misconduct with regard to a corpse.
He was out on bail and was picked up by police in Melbourne yesterday.
It is believed Stockman previously spent a day with police and provided them with a statement in relation to the alleged murder and disappearance of Dufty.
Police searched a property near Casino, northern NSW, where they found “items of interest” in relation to the investigation.
Stockman’s charges are believed to have been upgraded after a co-accused gave evidence against him.
Two other men — Liam Bliss and Lionel Patea’s cousin Aaron Crawford — have also been charged in relation to the murder.
Greg Dufty was last seen on July 6 last year at Ashmore.
Police believe he was murdered over a drug debt.
While his body has never been found, police have previously said they believe Dufty’s body was burnt over a period of time at a suspected burial site in northern NSW.
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