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On Wednesday, a man has been charged with twenty-seven charges in addition to murder for the horrific death of his niece, Michelle Leng.
Derek Barrett, who lived with his niece, was found to have thirteen photos of Ms Leng on his phone, lying on the her bed – tied up, gagged and naked. Further, the Sydney Morning Herald reports that police released a statement describing her state:
“The victim is clearly alive at the time the image was taken,” it said.
“The facial expression show by the victim … is of fear and terror.
“The duct tape and white cloth that is around her mouth also appears to be in place to restrict her from shouting or screaming out.”
Mr Barrett had kept Ms Leng captive upstairs in their Campsie home, and was previously found to have filmed her bathing and showering with a hidden camera in the bathroom.
Police also found videos of him sneaking into her room at night and masturbating over her while she slept.
Ms Leng’s body was found in April this year in the Central Coast blowhole with at least thirty stab wounds. Mr Barrett was found soon after through CCTV footage, with police tracking his movements through the Central Coast.
Police had previously charged Mr Barrett with murder, however added charges on Wednesday of detaining for advantage, committing an act of indecency and filming private parts without consent.
The case has been adjourned to August 10.
