Maryam Hamka: Blood and phone found in search for missing Melbourne woman
Shocking items were found in the search for a Melbourne woman who vanished months ago as the boyfriend accused of shocking assaults against her tried to get bail.
Blood and a mobile phone believed to belong to missing woman Maryam Hamka were found in her boyfriend’s apartment a day after she went missing, a court has been told.
Toby Loughnane was arrested the day after 38-year-old Brunswick woman was reported missing to police on April 15.
During a bail hearing for the 41-year-old in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday, the court was told police found items during a search of his Brighton home the day after Ms Hamka disappeared.
“The blood was located in his apartment and her mobile phone was located, which is still pending analysis,” Senior Constable Callan Turner told the court.
Mr Loughnane is charged with intentionally causing serious injury, recklessly cause injury and aggravated assault against Ms Hamka in July 2020.
He has not been charged with any offence in relation to the disappearance of Ms Hamka.
The lead investigator into the assault charges said the couple had been in an “on and off again” relationship for months at the time of the alleged offences.
Mr Loughnane allegedly brutally bashed Ms Hamka between July 7 and 8 last year, leaving her with two black eyes and a burst blood vessel in her eye, Senior Constable Turner said.
He later punched her, hit her with a glass bottle and forced a sock into her mouth, police allege.
The missing woman was able to escape and ran to a Coles on July 9 where she spoke to a worker, the officer told the court.
“The witness … observed Ms Hamka’s injuries and she told (the witness) her boyfriend had assaulted her and put his fingers down her throat and a sock in her mouth,” the officer said.
“She believed the accused was going to kill her,” Ms Hamka allegedly told the Coles worker.
The woman was taken to hospital because of her injuries and refused to provide details to police.
“She was extremely apprehensive and fearful about repercussions if the accused found out she provided further details to police,” Senior Constable Turner said.
His defence lawyer Sam Norton argued Ms Hamka named another person in relation to the assault or just said her “boyfriend”.
But Senior Constable Turner said the alleged victim said that “to protect herself from the accused”.
The lawyer argued the prosecution case was “weak” and Mr Loughnane would face a lengthy delay in the courts.
A woman, believed to be a relative of Ms Hamka, present at the hearing repeatedly showed newspaper articles showing the missing woman.
Magistrate Fran Medina denied Mr Loughnane bail and he will return to court in October.