Arabic version: رفض الإفراج بكفالة عن كونور أونيل في قضية قتل ببالمرستون

According to ABC News, Conor O’Neill, 40, has been refused bail after being charged with murdering his partner, a 47-year-old transgender woman, in Palmerston in the Northern Territory.

O’Neill is alleged to have fatally stabbed his partner with a kitchen knife while they were driving through the Darwin satellite city on September 18. The woman was stabbed twice, in the chest and stomach, and died from her injuries at Royal Darwin Hospital 10 days later.

His lawyer, Koulla Roussos, sought bail so O’Neill could help care for his mother, Fran Windsor, who has multiple sclerosis. Ms Roussos said O’Neill would likely argue at trial that there was an element of “defensive conduct”, telling police that the deceased had attacked him with the same knife. The court heard he was also allegedly injured.

Crown prosecutor Rhiannon McGlinn opposed bail, citing O’Neill’s criminal history, including a previous charge related to violent knife crime. She said the proposed bail conditions did not address the risk that he could flee or the risk to the community.

Judge David Woodroffe refused bail, referring to O’Neill’s history of knife violence and the seriousness of the allegation. “I cannot be satisfied that the risk to the community has been overcome,” he said. The matter is due to return to court for a directions hearing on December 14.