Man charged over student death

2008-10-31  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

A HOMELESS Australian man was yesterday charged with the murder of a young Chinese student in Sydney and with subjecting her and three friends to an ordeal involving rape and assault.

The dead student was from Sichuan Province and her mother, who lost all her property in the May 12 earthquake, arrived in the New South Wales city yesterday.

The Sydney Morning Herald yesterday quoted police as saying the young woman fell to her death from her apartment balcony in a bid to flee the intruder.

Brendan David Dennison, 26, was taken to Sydney's Central Local Court yesterday but refused to leave his holding cell for the brief hearing and did not apply for bail, the newspaper report said.

Dennison was charged with 21 offences including the murder of Wei Liao, 18, five counts of rape and inciting the four victims in the apartment to perform sexual acts on each other and with him.

Wei's Korean boyfriend, Chris Han, 19, also fell off the balcony. He suffered a broken back, pelvis and legs.

Another female roommate and female friend were also in the apartment but were physically uninjured.

Police told the newspaper Dennison followed the couple's female friend into the apartment building about noon on Sunday and forced his way into the flat by brandishing a knife.

A Chengdu Evening News report said Han picked up a knife and tried to fight the suspect. But Han surrendered the knife after the suspect threatened the life of one of the women, the newspaper said.

Wei's mother, Wu Liping, owned a supermarket in Jiangyou City, the Chengdu Evening News said.

Daniel Sheen, a lawyer acting for the victim's family, told the SMH the earthquake had destroyed Wu's home and supermarket. "She's lost her home, her business and now she's lost her only child," Sheen was quoted as saying.