Two fatal incidents at campsites across the New England in the past week are not connected, police say, despite a number of striking similarities between the cases.
In both incidents, the alleged offenders were quickly identified and arrested, both have been refused bail, and in each case police say the people involved were known to one another.
The most recent incident occurred on Sunday evening at a campsite off Danglemah Road at Woolbrook, about 66 kilometres north east of Tamworth.
Emergency services were called to the area about 6pm on Sunday 8 March following reports of a stabbing.
Officers attached to Oxley Police District attended and were told two men had been involved in an altercation before one of the men was allegedly stabbed several times in the chest and neck.
NSW Ambulance paramedics treated the injured man at the scene, however he could not be saved.
The man has not yet been formally identified but is believed to be aged in his 50s and from Queensland. Queensland Police are assisting NSW Police with inquiries.
A 43 year old man was arrested at the scene and taken to Tamworth Police Station. He was later charged with murder.
Daniel Mark Kilkeary, 43, appeared before Bail Division Court 5 on Monday 9 March. He did not apply for bail and magistrate Miranda Moody formally refused bail.
He will remain in custody and is expected to next appear before Tamworth Local Court in late April. He has not entered a plea to the charge, and his defence solicitor Osman Samin requested during the bail hearing that Kilkeary receive mental health assistance while in custody.
Police said the men were known to one another and had been camping in the area at the time of the alleged incident. A knife believed to have been used in the incident was located during a search of the campsite and will undergo forensic examination.
Oxley Police District Superintendent David Cooper told media the incident was not random.
“This was not a random attack, or a random incident, they were known to each other … they were in the camp area at the time,” Superintendent Cooper said.
“It’s a very sad day for another person who’s lost their life.”
The Woolbrook incident follows another fatal attack at a campsite less than a week earlier.
On Monday 2 March, a 33 year old man died after suffering critical head injuries during an alleged axe attack at the Little Styx River Campground near Ebor.
Police allege the man was struck with an axe while camping with friends.
Ahwen Kohn, 26, has been charged with murder and assault in relation to that incident and remains in custody after being refused bail by the same magistrate, Miranda Moody, last week. He is expected to face court again next month.
Despite the proximity in time and the similar settings, police say there is no connection between the two incidents.
“The seriousness of them is always a concern to us, but there’s certainly no connection and there’s nothing we’re worried about in relation to camping as such,” Superintendent Cooper said.
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