Department of Defence Media Mail List
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CPA 360/06 Sunday, 10 December 2006
RAN Sailor Charged With Manslaughter In Noumea
During the early hours of Saturday 9 December 2006 a junior sailor from the Royal Australian Navy ship, HMAS MELVILLE,
was arrested in Noumea in relation to an alleged assault and subsequent death of a local elderly female resident.
Australian Consulate staff have visited the sailor at Noumea Police Headquarters and he has been provided with legal
representation. The sailor appeared before a local magistrate this evening and has been charged with Involuntary
Manslaughter with No Premeditation. Bail has been denied and the sailor remains in custody in the Central Penitentiary
in Nouville which is New Caledonia™s main gaol. The sailor is subject to the laws of the French legal system and he will
await trial on a date to be determined.
The ship’s Commanding Officer will visit the sailor within the next 48 hours and he is working closely with Australian
Consulate staff to provide support. Australian officials are cooperating fully with New Caledonian authorities in the
management of these serious charges.
The sailor’s family in Australia is being supported by the Royal Australian Navy and Defence Community Organisation
personnel.
HMAS MELVILLE is in Noumea on an operational visit in preparation for a search for the Blackhawk helicopter which
crashed off Fiji on 29 November 2006.
Ends