Mobile seized by detectives in Mernda after Luay Sako charged with the murder of Celeste Manno
Detectives have found and seized a mobile phone believed to be linked to alleged killer Luay Sako — hours after he was charged with Celeste Manno’s murder.
Police & Courts
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Detectives have found and seized a mobile phone believed to be linked to alleged killer Luay Sako in Mernda.
It comes after an extensive line search in the area between Celeste Manno’s home – where she was allegedly murdered – and Mernda police station where Sako handed himself in on Monday morning.
The Herald Sun understands Friday’s line search aimed to find a mobile phone Sako threw away after the alleged crime.
An iPhone was found by SES volunteers about 10.55am near the intersection of Bridge Inn Rd and Breadalbane Avenue in Mernda.
It will now be examined to establish if it belongs to Sako.
Dozens of SES volunteers continue to search the area, combing through gardens and drains in an attempt to find any more evidence linked to the horrific murder.
Outside Celeste Manno’s family home, a large memorial site including a floral tribute continues to grow.
The memorial features a cross, a Collingwood football club scarf, a teddy bear and many photos of friends.
The discovery comes after it was revealed Sako was free at the time of her murder despite being charged with breaching a court order.
The 35-year-old — who on Thursday night was charged with murder — had been freed to live in the community despite being charged by Mernda police with serious offences including an intervention order breach.
The alleged killer was due to face the charges in two separate hearings at Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court from February 2, 2021. These were his first hearings for the matters so he had not yet entered pleas.
Sako did not apply for bail after being charged with murder on Thursday night.
The Roxburgh Park man did not appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday night because of technical difficulties in the cells of the Melbourne West police station where he is being held.
When asked about custody management issues, defence lawyer Sam Norton told the court his client was not on medication and did not have mental health issues.
“The only one is that it’s his first time in custody,” Mr Norton said.
Police made a request in court to be given extra time to put together their evidence brief because they needed to go through mobile phone records, CCTV footage and the amount of exhibits collected at the crime scene.
This was needed because of the “sheer volume of exhibits” collected from the crime scene so far, Detective Senior Constable Michael Drew said.
He said there was extensive CCTV footage that needed to be reviewed and not all of it was in the possession of the police.
Magistrate Luisa Bazzani granted police until March 16 next year to provide the hand up brief but ordered a summary of the allegations to be presented to defence lawyers within 14 days.
There was no application for bail made on Thursday evening.
Mr Sako will return to court for a committal mention on April 27 next year.
It comes as hundreds of people signed an online petition to strengthen laws to protect victims of stalking and violence in the wake of Ms Manno’s death.
The petition, launched by Ms Manno’s school friend Naciye Erel, takes aim at the lack of protection offered by intervention orders (IVO).
“The recent tragic loss of Celeste Manno, who had obtained an IVO against her alleged stalker, demonstrates that doing everything necessary according to the law for protection is not sufficient,” she said.
“Unfortunately Celeste Manno will not be the last victim and we need to put an end to this.
“This cannot be another case that causes an uproar only for it to decline until there is another victim.”
Ms Manno’s family alleged Sako had breached invention orders taken out by the 23-year-old after he bombarded her with “vile” messages and created fake social media accounts to stalk her.
Her father, Tony Manno, said the justice system failed his daughter and it had to stop.
“It let my daughter down. It has to be changed. It won’t bring her back but it needs to be changed,” he said.
SES crews will on Friday scour streets and parkland in Mernda to gather evidence.
Sako, of Roxburgh Park, had spent three nights in police custody in hospital after undergoing surgery on his hands.
Ms Manno was asleep in her bed in Mernda when her alleged killer smashed through her window and stabbed her to death about 4.10am on Monday.
FAMILY OF SAKO SPEAK OUT
The family of 35-year-old Sako condemned his actions, saying they had no idea he was allegedly stalking his kind-hearted former boss at Serco call centre.
“We are mortified with what has happened,” a female relative told the Herald Sun.
Sako remained under police guard in hospital and was yet to be charged by late Wednesday.
The alleged killer was due to undergo surgery on his hands which had been injured allegedly during the frenzied stabbing of Ms Manno, 23, in her Mernda bedroom early Monday morning.
Sako was jobless and lived at home with his parents in Roxburgh Park for years.
Relatives told the Herald Sun they had no idea he was allegedly stalking Ms Manno and they felt immense grief for her family.
“We have been in tears for Celeste since then. We had no idea what lifestyle he (Luay) was living. We have no idea of what his motive was. We had no idea he was doing this sort of stuff,” a relative said.
“We see him every day but he wasn’t really close to any of us. He was very distanced to all of us.
“For someone that young, for their life to be taken, we were mortified. We had no idea it (the stalking) was going on this long as well. This came out of the blue.”
Sako’s distraught father said he had not yet had a chance to speak to his eldest son.
“He never told us anything, nothing at all,” he said.
“We didn’t have any idea about my son and this girl, never ever. We can’t do anything, it is not easy. It is very sad.”
Neighbour Mumta Marcus said Sako was a complete recluse. “He (Luay) never left home. He always stayed at home. I always asked his father, ‘what was he doing’. And his father said, ‘nothing’.”
Sako’s younger brother Lauren Sako was convicted of manslaughter over the 2008 bashing death of Matthew McEvoy at QBH nightclub in Melbourne.
Lauren, aged 18 at the time, was sentenced to a maximum six-year prison term.
Sako allegedly became “obsessed” with Ms Manno after she was kind to him the day he was sacked from Serco.
After she told him she was not interested in him, he bombarded her on social media and she eventually took out an intervention order, according to her family.
They fear he allegedly killed her after she posted the first photo of herself and her boyfriend, Chris Ridsdale, on social media on Saturday night.
Mr Ridsdale posted the same photo to Facebook on Wednesday when paying tribute to his “beautiful” girlfriend.
“We talked and joked about how this would be the first picture of us together on her social media and she was so excited to share it with everyone,” he wrote.
“I was told, very clearly, that this was to be my new profile picture. For those who know me and know how little I use Facebook or Instagram, you know this was something I didn’t really care much to do.
“Now it seems like the best thing I can do for her.
“To show everyone how much she meant to me and how beautiful she was.”
PHOTO COULD HAVE TRIGGERED SUSPECT
Ms Manno’s family believes Mr Sako was triggered by a photo she posted of herself and boyfriend Chris Ridsdale on Saturday night.
It was not captioned but showed the couple arm in arm and was the first she had posted with a man since the alleged stalking ordeal began.
Her younger brother, Alessandro Manno, 19, said: “It was like if he couldn’t have her, no one could.”
Late Tuesday her suspected killer remained in hospital under police guard and without charge.
CCTV from the street showed a car casing Ms Manno’s home on Umbria Rd minutes before the alleged fatal attack. It’s believed her attacker climbed a side fence before smashing his way through her bedroom window.
Ms Manno was a team leader at Serco call centre in Mill Park and the suspect had briefly worked in her team.
But she was forced to take out an intervention order against him shortly after he was fired from his job.
Alessandro said the co-worker latched onto Ms Manno after she showed him kindness the day he was fired.
“She barely knew him but wanted to give him support so walked him out of the door and ever since that day he has been obsessed with her … harassing her on social media for months and months with vulgar and disgusting messages,” he said.
“At first she’d be nice and say she was not interested, but he kept getting obsessive and so she blocked him.”
He alleged the man created numerous fake social media accounts to keep tabs on her. These were given as evidence to police and an intervention order was made.
He appeared to leave her alone for a few months but her family fears he took her life after seeing her with another man.
Father Tony Manno said his daughter was failed by the justice system.
“It let her down. It let my daughter down. It has to be changed.
“It won’t bring her back but it needs to be changed. Too many scenarios have already happened,” he said.
Her older brother Jayden Manno, 33, described his sister’s death as a “senseless and unfathomable evil”.
“This should never happen … not to our family, not to anyone’s family,” he said.
“Everyone should have the right to live their lives in their homes, in their bedroom, on the street. No one should be scared … man, woman child – this evil should not exist and things need to change. It cannot be allowed to continue.”
Ms Manno’s mother Aggi was home when her daughter’s killer smashed into the house. She was unable to get to her in time and held her as she died.
On Tuesday afternoon Aggi and her family returned to the home to lay flowers and speak to loved ones, including colleagues, mourning at the scene.
Jayden said the family’s universe had been shattered.
“Celeste was the most bright, lively … the most intelligent of us all and the best of us all,” he said.
“She was loved by everyone. There wasn’t a soul on this earth who could ever say a bad thing about her. She was an amazing person.”
Ms Manno’s colleagues said she was a positive person and believe she made an effort to be strong and hide her fears.
“She was a strong girl. She was all about positive energy. I don’t think it’s (the stalking) something she would ever want people to know,” one said.
Another said he was aware a former worker was “inappropriately infatuated” with Ms Manno but never believed it could escalate to murder.
Ms Manno attended Lalor Secondary College and studied criminology and psychology at RMIT University.
She had also spent the past five years working as a “volunteer listener” at 7 Cups of Tea, an organisation for people who are mentally struggling and want to speak to someone.
The investigation continues. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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