In the 2015 Lunar New year, Leng Meng-mei (second center) took a photo with her killer`s uncle (front left) and other family members. (photo by the Daily Telegraph)
After stabbing her stepniece Leng Mengmei with more than 40 knives, Barnett (Derek Barrett) hid her naked body at her home in (Campsie), Sydney`s Kensi district, for at least two days. During these two days, Barnett`s stepdaughter returned to the house without realizing that her sister had been buried under the same roof. Nor did she realize that she might be Barnett`s next victim. In fact, prior to that, Barnett had taken pictures of her naked in the bathroom, or even of herself in front of her while she was asleep.
On Aug. 16, Barnett, 28, pleaded guilty to the murder of Leng Mengmei in April last year, as well as several other offences, including detaining others, and committing indecent acts against people over the age of 16, via video on (Burwood Local Court) in Baohuo District Court. He himself is in Silver Water prison, (Silverwater Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre), in a T-shirt prison uniform, wearing his own black-rimmed glasses. In the video, he folded his arms and showed no expression on his face when his lawyer, Whitby (William Whitby), declared his confession.
After he pleaded guilty, his pathological fascination with his stepdaughter and stepniece, as well as his cruel crimes, came to light.
Barrett was charged with 28 counts, including one count of murder and one count of incarceration, according to (Department of Justice), the new state justice department, who told the newspaper that Barrett had been charged with 28 counts, including one count of murder and one count of imprisonment. And three counts of indecent conduct against people over the age of 16, as well as two charges removed, other charges pending trial in the Supreme Court on Oct. 6, when Barrett will appear again via video.
His niece was stabbed to death with more than 40 knives, and his family hid his body for two days.
Leng Mengmei`s body has been hidden at Barnett`s house for at least 2 days on Sunday, April 24, 2016. That morning, Barnett drove her body, wrapped in a black plastic bag, to the central coast, dumped it in a drainage hole in Snapper Point, and took several photos of the site with her mobile phone. Soon after, the tourist found her body.
Just three days ago, on Thursday, 21 April, the Sydney University of Technology student spent the last few hours of his life at the Sydney Fish Market with friends, then went shopping at Myer in CBD until her body was found. No one has ever seen her again. At about 10:00 that night, she spoke to her aunt on the phone, and her last message was a text message she sent to an IELTS teacher at midnight that day, who promised to let Leng Mengmei serve as her assistant.
Since she arrived in Australia from China five years ago, she has lived with her aunt, stepuncle Barnett and her cousin. Her aunt was working in (Wollongong), Wolonggang, the day she died.
According to court documents, Barnett attacked her in her bedroom late on April 21 until sometime in the morning of April 22, blocking her mouth with a white cloth and securing it with transparent tape.
Court documents did not specify the timing of the attack, but police confirmed that on the morning of April 22, Leng Mengmei had been attacked but still alive, with limited movement, at which time Barnett took more than a dozen pictures of her. He then stabbed Leng Mengmei more than 40 times, including a knife in the neck, five in the upper body, and hid his body at home.
Two witnesses saw Barnett on the morning of Barnett`s dump near Snapper Point`s dump hole. Barnett warned them not to get any closer to the water, they recalled.
Where the killer dumped his body. (photo of the Daily Telegraph)
After examining nearby surveillance footage and Barnett`s cell phone, police said Barnett dumped his body and went to his parents` home in the nearby Gwandalan district, where he took 300 yuan and returned to Sydney.
In the afternoon of that day, the aunt, who had not heard from Leng Meng-mei for several days, returned home anxiously from Wolonggang, accompanied by Barnett, to the Kent Police Station to call the police.
Police say Barnett gave three answers about the last time he saw Lengmenmei, and he appeared to have serious "amnesia." on April 29, Barnett was arrested and charged with murder. A few weeks later he was accused of photographing Leng Meng-mei and her stepdaughter and photographing themselves in front of them while they were sleeping.
Outside the court, police officer Duke (Mark Dukes) said it was not appropriate to comment at this stage.
Barnett will appear again on Oct. 6 to decide on a sentencing date.
