Sexuality may have played a part in the unsolved stabbing murder of a “charismatic and kind” Sydney man in Centennial Park nearly 14 years ago.
A special New South Wales inquiry into LGBTQ+ hate crimes has examined the case of Anthony Cawsey, 37, whose body was found in the eastern suburbs park in September 2009.
Cawsey had walked from his Redfern flat to the park, a well-known location for gay beats, in the early morning while phoning a chat line.
He was later found with a single stab wound to the chest, while his pants were pulled down, revealing pink women’s underpants and a G-string.
Moses Kellie, a person of interest who has since died, was charged over the murder in 2015 but the case was dismissed and the killer’s identity remains unknown.
Counsel assisting the inquiry, Kathleen Heath, said on Monday it was hard to ignore the “confluence of features” suggesting sexuality played a part in the unsolved murder.
“The circumstances of Mr Cawsey’s death give rise to a possibility his sexuality was a factor in the attack which caused his death,” she said.
Evidence showed, she submitted, that Mr Cawsey had gone out to seek a sexual encounter and left a message on the gay chat line that he was wandering through a park wearing “girlies panties”.
Immediately before his death, Mr Cawsey had connected with a man via the chat line and engaged in phone sex.
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“All of these circumstances give rise to a reasonable suspicion Mr Cawsey was the target of an attack on the basis of the expression of his sexuality,” Ms Heath said.
The barrister described the police investigation into the killing as “extensive and thorough” but said authorities failed to bring a charge against the suspect until 2015, despite having “all relevant” evidence against him in 2010.
“It appears this was motivated by his pending release from custody at the expiration of his sentence for other matters, rather than any breakthrough in the case,” she said.
She criticised the timing, saying “unexplained” delays in prosecution such as in this matter risked weakening the crown case and should be avoided.
Cawsey, who worked as a stagehand, was described as physically fit and “vibrant, charismatic and kind”.
The 11th block of hearings in the inquiry – looking into suspected LGBTQ+ hate crime deaths in NSW between 1970 and 2010 – concludes this week.
The commissioner, supreme court judge John Sackar, is due to deliver a final report in August.
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