Kieren Daniel Mittelheuser charged as an accessory after alleged murder of Pheobe Bishop
More details have emerged about the case against a third person charged as an accessory after the fact as part of the Pheobe Bishop murder investigation.
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More details have emerged about the case against a third person charged as part of the Pheobe Bishop murder investigation.
Kieren Daniel Mittelheuser remains in custody after he faced allegations he used the teenager’s phone to interfere with the police probe.
Vision released showed Mr Mittelheuser, dressed in plant-printed shorts, stopped by police outside Bundaberg’s Oporto restaurant and taken into custody.
The 30-year-old did not apply for bail on Wednesday.
He also did not appear in court in person as his case was heard by phone at the Bundaberg Magistrates Court following his arrest on Tuesday night, one day after Pheobe was laid to rest by family and friends.
He has been charged with two counts of accessory after the fact to murder, one count of failure to appear in accordance with undertaking and one breach of bail condition.
He is also facing charges of driving while disqualified, fraud and drug possession.
During the mention of his case, his lawyer asked for a brief of evidence, which was expected to take about six weeks to produce.
Mr Mittelheuser’s duty lawyer, Mr Zeller from Indigo Law said the accessory and fraud charges were related.
He told the court the fraud charge involved the alleged use of a credit or debit card connected to the accessory after the fact allegations.
Mr Mittelheuser’s case was adjourned until Monday August 25, where he will be required to appear by video.
Speaking to reporters in Maryborough on Wednesday, Queensland Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said her “heart goes out to Pheobe Bishop’s family”.
“The whole of Queensland and in fact Australia is reeling from this matter,” Ms Frecklington said.
The Member for Nanango declined to go into details of the case, saying it was before the courts but said in general it was important for the community that such cases resulted in people being brought before the courts.
“The police have worked extremely hard to ensure they can give that confidence back to the local community.’’
Premier David Crisafulli said while was yet to be given details about the new charges, police were taking the investigation seriously.
“They’ve really rallied around one of their own … and it shows you the kind of people who live in smaller communities,” Mr Crisafulli said.
“They have really been rocked by this, and we want to see every person who needs to be brought to justice, and police are taking it really seriously.”
Pheobe was reported missing in May after failing to board a flight to Western Australia to visit her boyfriend on May 15.
Her disappearance sparked an intense search as her family took to social media to make a desperate plea for information about her whereabouts and her safe return.
Police investigations centred on the home the teen shared at the small town about 50km west of Bundaberg, with forensic investigators scouring the property for any sign of the missing teen.
Officers’ attention then turned to bushland at the Good Night Scrub National Park, which was scoured by search crews.
Two weeks into the investigation police arrested and charged the teen’s housemates, 34-year-old James Wood and 33-year-old Tanika Bromley, with her murder and interfering with a corpse.
Pheobe’s body was found by police in the national parkland the day after the charges were laid, on June 6.
Police allege Wood and Bromley drove the teen close to the airport in a grey Hyundai, but no-one left the car.
It has been alleged Pheobe was murdered and then her body was driven to and dumped in the national park.
Police have alleged her body was moved by the pair twice.
Family and friends laid Pheobe to rest on Monday in an emotion-charged private funeral which followed community vigils for the teenager.
No pleas have been entered.
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Originally published as Kieren Daniel Mittelheuser charged as an accessory after alleged murder of Pheobe Bishop
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