Dudley Davey charged with murdering outback nurse Gayle Woodford remanded in custody

THE man charged with violently killing Gayle Woodford requested his identity be kept under wraps to avoid retribution in his community. The request was denied.

Supplied image obtained Friday, March 25, 2016 of missing South Australian health worker Gayle Woodford. SA Police have declared Woodford's disappearance a major crime. (AAP Image/Facebook) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

VIOLENTLY killed, her body was found in a shallow grave in one of the loneliest corners of Australia. Now a 36-year-old man, accused of murdering outback nurse Gayle Woodford, will remain behind bars following a court hearing where no application for bail was made.

Dudley Davey will stay in custody until June after facing a court in Port Augusta on Tuesday.

Ms Woodford’s body was found on Saturday in a shallow grave outside the remote South Australian town of Fregon, in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands in far north of the state.

Nearly 90,000 people have since signed a petition demanding more protection for health care workers in remote areas.

Joanne Norton, a nurse from Young in NSW, launched the petition last weekend urging Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley to put stronger safeguards in for workers.

Abolishing single nurse posts across the country and including making it mandatory to work in pairs when attending after-hour call outs and emergencies were top of the priority list.

“Many many nurses have been physically assaulted and since December last year, we have had two sexual assaults in one of the state and territories of this country which is absolutely abhorrent,” she told the Seven Network.

Dudley Davey has been charged over the murder of nurse Gayle Woodford. Picture: Channel 7

It is believed Gayle Woodford was last seen travelling as a passenger in this ambulance. Source: SA Police

The Advertiser reported that at Tuesday’s hearing, Davey, from Mimili, requested his identity be kept under wraps to avoid retribution in his community and in prison. However, the request was refused on the grounds his name was already widely known in the community and it was not in the pubic interest to suppress his identity.

Davey allegedly lured Ms Woodford from the home she shared with her schoolteacher husband Keith.

It was only after Ms Woodford failed to appear at work and the ambulance was noted missing that the alarm was raised about 10.30am Thursday.

On Saturday, Superintendent Des Bray said a body had been found.

“Our worst fears were realised. We found a shallow grave on the roadside about a kilometre and a half out of Fregon,” Supt Bray told reporters on Saturday. “We believe the grave will contain the remains of Gayle.”

The health worker’s ambulance was also allegedly stolen on Thursday morning. A man was arrested and initially charged with the theft of the ambulance before he was charged on Sunday with Ms Woodford’s murder.

Supt Bray said Ms Woodford’s family would be “completely devastated” by the news.

“As are many of the people in the community because Gayle ... was a much loved person here, so this is devastating news not just for Fregon but for the whole APY community,” he said.

Ms Woodford normally drove the local ambulance and its GPS data shows it left Fregon shortly after midnight on Thursday and travelled to Mimili.

Gayle Woodford on one of the vehicles she used to provide healthcare across South Australia's remote APY Lands. Source: Facebook

In the early hours of Thursday morning, the ambulance travelled via Indulkana to Marla, arriving around daybreak.

Police intercepted the ambulance in Coober Pedy at 10.30am and two men and a woman inside were interviewed.

“We only have one suspect and that suspect is in custody on vehicle-related crimes,” Supt Bray said.