Major update after a young dad was stabbed to death in an alleged drug deal gone wrong
Officers found the body of a Malaysian man, 29, with multiple stab wounds about 5pm on Monday at Croydon Park, in Sydney 's inner-west.
It's understood he had lived at the home with his wife and children for just a few months prior, according to shocked neighbours.
Mohammad Sofwan Bin Mustafha, 32, was arrested at the scene and taken to hospital for assessment under police guard.
He was later charged with murder and faced Burwood Local Court on Tuesday.
He did not apply for bail and will return to the same court on July 30.
A second man, aged 36, who police had been searching for, was arrested on Tuesday night.
Police had earlier appealed for public assistance by releasing images of the man, saying he was last seen on the street where the stabbing occurred.
The man charged with murder had attempted to flee the crime scene when police attended but was quickly apprehended, Superintendent Christine McDonald said.
'This is a gruesome crime,' she told reporters on Monday night.
'The man's injuries are horrific, and what we know from very preliminary investigations is that ... we believe this is a drug deal gone horribly wrong.
'We didn't give him any time to run away. We were here too quick.'
On Tuesday morning, police were crawling over the quiet street as they attempted to piece together what happened.
The victim, who has not yet been formally identified, was found with multiple stab wounds to his neck.
Police were unsure of who lived at the house, who had attended before the fatal incident and the reason they were meeting, Supt McDonald said.
She did not detail why police believed the incident had stemmed from an alleged drug deal.
'We don't believe it to be domestic-related, we don't believe it to be gang-related, but we need to work through all those steps of the investigation,' she said.
'The community down here would be shocked that something ... so brutal has happened in their street.'
A neighbour told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday the dead man lived with his wife and children at the Croydon Park home for just a few months before the alleged attack.
'The neighbourhood is feeling very unsettled. This is a really, really lovely quiet street,' she said.
'We do all know each other. Pretty much, we all know each other except for this particular house.
'They haven't lived here that long so we don't know much about them.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Sacked Sky News Australia host goes rogue with wild on-air rant: 'It's more evil than you can imagine'
A former Sky News Australia presenter has accused the network of being 'evil' and pushing pro-Israel 'propaganda' in a fiery spray in which she suggested she was axed because of her differing views on the Middle Eastern conflict. Daily Mail first revealed last month that Liz Storer, who co-hosted The Late Debate panel show with Caleb Bond, had vanished from screens in June without any explanation from the network. She resurfaced this week in an interview with fellow ex-Sky host Chris Smith on his Radio 2SM show on Tuesday, where she made wild claims that the network had an 'alliance' with Israel. The network's line-up includes numerous pro-Israeli commentators who have taken a sympathetic line on the Jewish State during the conflict following Hamas ' slaughter of Israelis and kidnapping of hostages on October 7, 2023. In a wild spray - where she did not single out any reporter or executive but spoke of the network as a whole - Storer described the TV station as having an 'alliance' with Israel 'that began before Sky News Australia even existed. 'They are only going to pump out the same propaganda that Israel has done so relentlessly. 'I just don't believe that you can believe that anymore. I was a believer. I changed my tune. 'And now I'm no longer at Sky, and those two things are very much related.' She went on to describe 'evil' being afoot at the network - 'far more... than you can possibly imagine'. 'If you have a conscience, if you have a single firing neuron in your brain going, "Hang on a minute. You mean to tell me everybody else but Sky News Australia is lying?" 'That doesn't match up.' She added: 'So yeah, when it comes to Israel, I wouldn't get your news from Sky News Australia.' A Sky News source pushed back on Storer's claims, flatly denying the existence of a 'pervasive pro-Israel editorial stance at Sky News'. The insider claimed Storer often had separate views on matters unrelated to Israel-Palestine that 'made it really risky to be on air.' Storer has previously drawn criticism for her support of groups widely regarded as far-right. In 2024, she clashed with fellow Sky News co-host Joe Hildebrand over her endorsement of Germany's nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, a moment that was later scrutinised on ABC's Media Watch. In March, she sparked further controversy during an on-air exchange with now-permanent co-host Freya Leach, where she defended a proposed law in Hungary that would criminalise attendance at the Budapest Gay Pride Parade. The law, which would impose fines of up to AUD$857, also grants police the authority to use facial recognition technology to identify and pursue attendees. Sky has not commented on Storer's suggestions that she was axed for her changed views on the Middle Eastern conflict, but a source at the network told Daily Mail there was no 'pervasive' pro-Israel editorial stance at Sky Storer was approached for comment. Former federal opposition leader and NSW Independent MLC Mark Latham claimed last month that Sky had dismissed Storer over her stance on Israel. Latham, who was fired from Sky News in 2017 following a series of controversial comments on the program Outsiders, accused the network of hypocrisy. 'It's disgraceful for Sky News to advertise itself as a champion of free speech while sacking a popular presenter for the thought crime of not being as lavishly sycophantic to Israel,' Latham told Daily Mail at the time. Storer has since been replaced by rising network figure Freya Leach, a former Liberal candidate for Balmain. Sky has not commented on Storer's suggestions that she was axed for her changed views on the Middle Eastern conflict. Coincidentally, Chris Smith - whose radio show Storer was appearing on - was also dismissed by Sky in 2022 following an alleged incident at a work Christmas party.
The Independent
16 minutes ago
- The Independent
Suspected arsonist appears in court over Melbourne synagogue fire that shocked the nation
A suspected arsonist accused of destroying a Melbourne synagogue appeared in court seven months after the crime shocked the nation and triggered a large-scale investigation. Giovanni Laulu, 21, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court Thursday after his arrest at a Melbourne home on Wednesday. Police allege Laulu is one of three masked men who spread a liquid accelerant around the interior of the Adass Israel Synagogue then set it alight before dawn on Dec. 6. A worshipper preparing for morning prayers suffered minor burns. Laulu is the first suspect to be caught, but police have foreshadowed more arrests. Police suspect there are also accomplices who planned the attack from overseas. Laulu was charged with arson, reckless conduct endangering life and car theft. Laulu confirmed his name but otherwise remained silent during the brief court appearance. He did not enter pleas or apply to be released on bail. His lawyer told Magistrate Brett Sonnett this was not Laulu's first time in prison. Laulu was then remanded in custody and will appear in court next on Aug. 6. Prosecutors sought 12 weeks to gather evidence against Laulu and said 11 cell phones need to be analysed. Sonnett gave the prosecution until Oct. 22 to present their case to Laulu's lawyers. Federal and state police, plus Australia's main domestic spy agency, have been investigating the crime, which is suspected to be politically motivated. Police say more than 220 law enforcement officers have devoted more than 50,000 hours to the investigation. State Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said Victoria Police would be relentless in pursuing and holding those involved in the synagogue arson to account. 'Victoria Police has seen first-hand the impact this incident has had in the Victorian community — the fear and distress a crime like this can cause,' Bush said in a statement. ' People deserve to be safe and feel safe, particularly when it comes to their places of worship. This is not negotiable in any way. We remain committed to identifying all those who seek to cause this kind of fear and harm, and ensuring they are brought to justice,' he added. A wave of antisemitic attacks has roiled Australia since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas assault on Israel triggered the war in Gaza. The synagogue attack is the only incident that has been classified as an act of terrorism, a designation that increases the resources available to the investigation. The federal government has committed 30 million Australian dollars ($20 million) to rebuild the synagogue.
BBC News
17 minutes ago
- BBC News
Mum Veronique John searched jail terms on the day she killed children
A mother searched online for information on overdoses and prison sentences for murder on the day she killed her children, an inquest has John carried out the searches on the morning of 11 June 2023, hours before she called police to report she had killed daughter Elizabeth, seven, and son Ethan, 11, at the family home in inquest previously heard she had just been released from custody after attacking her husband. Consultant psychiatrist Dr Gillian Bennett told Wednesday's hearing Mrs John had not met the threshold of insanity at the John was detained indefinitely at a secure hospital last year. Dr Bennett said after Mrs John attacked her husband she admitted to police what she had done which indicated she did understand the nature of the acts and they were John was stabbed 21 times while his sister was also knifed and left with a fatal brain injury. Mr John reported on 9 June he had been attacked. Police saw him with injuries on 10 June and took Mrs John into custody, releasing her early on 11 hearing at Stoke's Civic Centre also heard a domestic violence protection notice would have prevented Mrs John returning to the family's Flax Street home for 48 hours, but a community resolution notice was issued. An assessment in custody concluded she did not have signs of acute or enduring mental health conditions, but in later months, she was diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder and a personality disorder and deemed not fit to plead in records showed Mrs John had previously been prescribed antidepressants, and from 2012 had experienced a miscarriage, stillbirth, her mother's death and domestic abuse from a former partner in the was referred to a psychiatrist seven years before the children's deaths and previously tried to end her 11 June, Mr John informed her he would not be returning to live with her, the inquest the murders, she could not recall what had happened. She said she had not slept for four days beforehand. Insp Bruce Wilkinson said he decided to issue a community resolution notice, which meant she was able to return to the family had been unaware at the time of allegations Mrs John had previously harassed her husband, or evidence could have been found on his phone, he had been aware of Mr John's injuries on 10 to police guidance, a community resolution notice should not have been issued in a domestic violence case involving people who had been in an intimate Wilkinson said he later realised he applied that in said: "I certainly did not think there was physical risk to the children".The inquest continues. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
