Australia gang murder suspect remanded in custody

Thursday, June 18, 2009 at 5:10 AM Posted by Beijing News


A man accused of gunning down Melbourne gang figure Desmond "Tuppence" Moran in a suburban cafe this week was remanded in custody after a brief court appearance.

Geoffrey Amour, 43, known by the nickname "Nuts," did not speak during the hearing at Melbourne Magistrates Court, where he was ordered to reappear on September 9.

Amour is accused of killing Moran in the busy Ascot Vale area around noon on Monday along with an accomplice, who remains at large. Two balaclava-wearing attackers pumped multiple bullets into the 61-year-old before fleeing.

The victim's sister-in-law, Judy Moran, has also been arrested as a suspected accomplice along with Amour's girlfriend Suzanne Kane, in a case that has caused a media sensation here.

The Moran family played a major role in a gang war for control of Melbourne's drugs trade, which claimed about 30 lives between 1995 and 2006 and has been dramatised in the hit "Underbelly" TV series.

In another twist, Judy Moran's home was mysteriously torched after her arrest on Tuesday. The 64-year-old had already lost her husband Lewis and two sons Mark and Jason in the Melbourne gang war.

"Fact is almost stranger than fiction with what we've seen," Victoria state police commissioner Simon Overland said on Wednesday.

"If you were a scriptwriter and sat down and wrote this stuff you'd probably say: 'Look, no, it's a bit far-fetched. No one will believe it.'"

The court also barred media from publishing photos or sketches of Amour, arguing that his identification would form a major part of the case against him should any witnesses come forward.







Lightning strikes behind a windmill near Baldwin City, Kan. AP Photo/Orlin Wagner

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