Mert Ney ‘filmed dead victim’ before alleged CBD stabbing rampage

Alleged knifeman Mert Ney filmed slain Michaela Dunn before his rampage through Sydney’s CBD.

Mert Ney allegedly sent a video of Michaela Dunn’s body to a friend before the city knife rampage. Picture: Seven News

It was Mert Ney’s own video of slain Michaela Dunn — sent by phone to a friend after he’d allegedly cut her throat in a stabbing frenzy — that first alerted police that he was the same man who was terrorising the public in an unfolding drama in Sydney’s CBD on Tuesday, sources close to the investigation have confirmed.

Twenty year-old, Ney, who was tackled to the ground by bystanders within minutes, brought Sydney to a standstill after he ran from Ms Dunn’s rented unit in Clarence Street, brandishing a bloodied butcher’s knife, yelling “Alluhau Akbar” and telling bystanders that he had a bomb.

Murder victim Michaela Dunn, 24.

Sources have confirmed NSW Police will allege in their statement of facts that Ney had arrived at Ms Dunn’s fourth floor apartment at 1.44pm after booking an appointment for sex with the former University of Notre Dame student.

CCTV vision captured Ney arriving at Clarence House at 1.44pm. Just 13 minutes later, police will allege he filmed Ms Dunn’s body on his phone, declared Alluhau Akbar”, then sent the clip to a friend, The Sunday Telegraph reports.

The friend allegedly sent it to another person who immediately alerted Ney’s local police station. Quakers Hill Police, unaware of the unfolding drama in the city, rushed to Ney’s family home in nearby Marayong in Sydney’s west.

Mert Ney in custody. Picture: Seven News

Ms Dunn had been running a discrete, “high end” sex service with a friend from the stately Clarence House building, in the heart of Sydney’s office precinct. Police facts will allege Ney had booked Ms Dunn for a 30-minute, $250 “girlfriend experience”.

After his dramatic arrest on Tuesday, Ney spent three days in hospital recovering from a self-inflicted knife wound to his leg before appearing before Central Local Court yesterday. He has been charged with the murder of Ms Dunn and the attempted murder of 41 year-old office worker Lin Bo, who Ney allegedly stabbed in the back as he ran through the streets.

Ney has also been charged with “intentionally choke person with recklessness” and common assault in relation to an alleged attack on his sister, Yazel Ney, on August 7.

It was Ms Yazel who first alerted Quakers Hill Police on August 7 that Ney had allegedly attacked her during an argument with his mother, and she was concerned he had “absconded” from Blacktown Hospital earlier that day after he’d gone to emergency seeking help for his deteriorating mental health.

Quakers Hill Police would spend the next seven days searching for Ney. He did make two further attempts to get medical help during this time on August 9. A local GP who saw him was so concerned about his mental state he immediately reported him to police. Ney also returned to Blacktown Hospital later that day, but walked out of the hospital the next morning.

Police would learn later that Ney had returned home briefly on August 10 to collect some clean clothes before booking in to stay at a government-run emergency house in Blacktown. But crucially, that is when Ney disappeared off the police radar completely, before he suddenly reappeared — three days later — running through the heart of Sydney’s CBD, soaked in blood and waving around a butcher’s knife.

Ney’s lawyer, Zemarai Khatiz told a Sydney magistrate yesterday Ney would be fighting the charges on mental health grounds.

Mr Khatiz told The Australian today he was still waiting for Ney to properly assessed by a psychiatrist.

“The case will ultimately rely on mental health defences,” Mr Khatiz said.

Mr Khatiz said Ney was “still in a lot of pain” from his leg injury and said he was yet to receive his medication, despite multiple requests to Corrective Services.

Ney will appear via audiovisual link at Central Local Court on Monday.