Mert Ney’s sister said she was worried her brother’s alleged victim would be ignored because she was a sex worker
The sister of the accused Sydney CBD knifeman fears the young woman her brother allegedly killed will be ignored because she was a sex worker.
Mert Ney’s sibling – who asked not to be named – said on Wednesday she was worried people would say ‘who cares’ about his alleged victim, 24, because of her profession.
‘The worst part is she was a sex worker,’ she said. ‘So it’s like they’re branding her as (that) … it doesn’t mean anything!
‘People are just going to read the paper and say ‘she’s just a prostitute, who cares’.’
Ms Ney said she was a ‘million times sorry’ for the alleged murder victim, later named as Michaela Dunn, 24, and her family.
Mert Ney allegedly killed Ms Dunn at a city unit on Tuesday afternoon. He rampaged down Clarence St, allegedly stabbing and injuring another woman, Linda Bo, 41, at 2pm, before he was stopped by heroes armed with milk crates and chairs.
Police released Ms Dunn’s name late on Wednesday afternoon, leading family and friends flooding the internet with tributes. They are determined to make sure Ms Dunn is remembered as a ‘beautiful, loving woman’ who was ‘very loved’.
‘Very loved’: Michaela Dunn, 24, was identified as Mert Ney’s alleged victim late on Wednesday. She was found dead at a city unit about 3.15pm on Tuesday
Ms Dunn was found stabbed to death inside her central city apartment (pictured – her neighbour’s apartment)
Ms Dunn died prior to Ney’s alleged rampage on Clarence St about 2pm on Tuesday.
After Ney was caught, a friend found her body inside a nearby unit. She had apparently met Ney earlier in the day.
Another woman, Linda Bo, 41, was stabbed on the street but was discharged from hospital on Wednesday and is recovering at home.
Sex workers have said it feels Ms Dunn’s death feels ‘overshadowed’ by the heroics of the men who stopped her.
Rose Harper told the ABC her death was ‘tacked on like a footnote’ in media coverage.
‘It’s quite abrupt and it reminds the whole sex-worker community that it might be all we’re known as some day.’
Ms Dunn’s best friend Ashleigh penned a poignant Instagram tribute overnight.
‘My other half, my best friend and the love of my life. No words are able to describe the light you were, not just to me – but everyone,’ she wrote.
‘You were the most beautiful person, inside and out. You would brighten up anywhere you went just by your presence; and now the world is truly a much darker place.
Family and friends said Ms Dunn grew up in Lidcombe in the city’s inner west, attending Rosebank College for high school.
The principal said she was a ‘passionate’ social justice captain, a ‘mature, resilient young woman and positive role model’.
She studied public communication at university and traveled widely, including to the United States, Europe and Sri Lanka.
And she had campaigned against sexual violence and harassment. ‘Sexual violence and harassment is never acceptable,’ she wrote on Facebook.
‘Take two minutes to read and sign this petition, it’s such an important issue that needs to be addressed sooner than later.’
Mert Ney remains in hospital and charges are yet to be laid.
Caught: After he was apprehended, Ney was filmed in the back of a police van after his arrest in Sydney on Tuesday afternoon
His sister yesterday said she felt ‘shocked, angry, disgusted’ by what happened at a brave press conference.
‘Mostly I just want to say sorry to (the victims),’ she said, reflecting on Ms Dunn’s tragic death.
The sister said: ‘She could’ve been like going out in a few hours to go shopping with her mum, eat dinner with her boyfriend, her girlfriends and s***.
‘She can’t do that now, can she?’
‘All the words I could say isn’t ever going to bring her back … I’m really sorry, she was like, defenceless and everything.’
She said her brother needed to face the repercussions of his alleged actions.
‘I want him to suffer, I want them to put him the worst (most severe) mental health institution.
‘But I know the law might be lenient or oh, he’s mentally ill, we’ll let him go. Then another woman’s going to die.’
She added: ‘I don’t want to go near him. If this happened to like family members you know, you wouldn’t want to go near them, would you?’
The sister praised the actions of the heroes who brought his alleged rampage to a swift end with milk crates and chairs as ‘commendable’.
‘We didn’t know he would do this … he’s never been violent in the past’.
Posts about her remarks on Facebook have attracted a torrent of comments saying she had no reason to apologise as the attack was not at all her fault.