A married businessman whose body was found in a Queensland hotel room died when a sex act with a prostitute went horribly wrong, police will allege, as she remains behind bars charged with manslaughter.
Madeleine Joan Lewin, 32, allegedly killed Brisbane man Anthony Brady, 52, at the Sunshine Tower Hotel in Cairns on Wednesday.
Mr Brady had been in Cairns on a business trip but failed to return to his family in the Queensland capital on Thursday.
Hotel staff and police discovered his body about 4pm on Friday, with Lewin arrested on Sunday morning.
Police allege Mr Brady’s death was the result of a sexual encounter with Lewin that went wrong in the hotel room.
Brisbane businessman Anthony Brady (pictured) was found dead in a hotel room in Cairns on Friday
Sex worker Madeleine Joan Lewin (pictured) has been charged with manslaughter over Mr Brady’s death
Police will allege Lewin owed Mr Brady a ‘duty of care’ but instead fled the hotel room on Wednesday night, according to The Courier Mail.
Court documents from Cairns Magistrates Court on Monday state police believe Mr Brady died ‘on or about’ last Thursday following his meeting with the sex worker the night before.
CCTV footage from a Caltex petrol station shows Mr Brady buying items before returning to his hotel on Wednesday evening.
Exactly what happened next remains unclear, however when he did not arrive home in Brisbane the next day his family raised the alarm.
It led Queensland Police officers to comb through drains and shrubs close to where he was last sighted.
Lewin was arrested on Sunday morning at Manoora, a suburb of Cairns, and fronted Cairns Magistrates Court on Monday.
Mr Brady was captured on CCTV in a Caltex service station on Wednesday, 12 August before heading back to Sunshine Tower Hotel where he was found dead on Friday
Police initially released an image of Lewin in an effort to identify her to help with their investigation. They now allege Mr Brady’s death was from a sex act gone wrong between the pair
She was on parole at the time of the arrest and had previously been named only as a person of interest on Saturday, with police releasing images of her as part of a public information campaign.
Lewin had gone missing from the NSW central coast less than a year before her dramatic arrest 2,000 kilometres away in north Queensland.
Originally from Gladesville on Sydney’s lower north shore, Lewin was known to move throughout the central coast and far north Queensland.
Lewin was reported missing in mid-2019, with NSW police releasing a picture of her with long hair.
She will reappear in court on Tuesday.
NSW Police released this image of Lewin when she was reported as a missing person in 2019
Mr Brady had been staying at the Cairns Plaza Hotel on the city’s esplanade, close to 650 metres away from the Sunshine Tower Hotel where his body was discovered.
Cairns Police Detective Senior Sergeant Ed Kinbacher told media that Mr Brady was a ‘family man’ and that his death had shocked his loved ones.
‘He was last seen on Wednesday night. We have managed to track his movements to about 9pm that night where he was on Sheridan Street,’ Det Snr Sgt Kinbacher said.
‘It appears that he was just going about his business inside the service station, he has obtained some items and then left.
‘This man is a person of regular habits, he is a family man, he had flights back to south Queensland the following day and he didn’t attend the flight, not did he attend the business arrangements he had the following day.
‘My understanding is this is only the second time he had been in Cairns on business, and that was in the last few months. He’d attended functions in the days prior to his disappearance.’
Mr Brady’s cousin Ian Brady posted on Facebook that he hopes those responsible for ‘taking his life away’ are brought to justice.
‘Unfortunately Tony’s body was found yesterday,’ he wrote.
‘We don’t have much more information yet, hopefully the investigation will quickly bring justice to those responsible for taking his life away.’
Detectives from State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad have travelled to Cairns to assist with the investigation.
Acting Detective Inspector Jason Smith said a post-mortem examination was being carried out that would ‘reveal more information to police’ about the death.
‘The circumstances of the death appear suspicious at this stage, however we’re keeping an open mind.
‘We currently have four homicide investigation officers here in Cairns assisting with the investigation,’ he said.
Det Ins Smith said officers are working with Mr Brady’s family during the investigation.
‘A police family liaison officer has been appointed and we are keeping the family of the deceased updated on the progress of this investigation and we’ll keep talking to them as it progresses further through the courts,’ he said.
‘We’re keep trying to keep everything as discreet as possible for them.’
Queensland Police believe a number of people could have seen Mr Brady on the streets of Cairns on the night he was last seen.
Anyone with information regarding Mr Brady’s death have been urged to call Policelink on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Police and hotel staff found Mr Brady’s body in a room at the Sunshine Tower Hotel (pictured) about 4pm on Friday, August 14. His family had reported him missing after he failed to catch a flight home or attend business meetings as intended on Thursday