A man accused of kidnapping has had a bail bid knocked back as police allege evidence of planning in the disappearance of his mother.
Wheelchair-bound with visible marks to his head, Slade Murdok sat quietly for the majority of his bail application in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday.
The 30-year-old was on bail for unrelated offences when he was arrested and charged in relation to the disappearance of his mother, Wendy Sleeman, the court heard.
There are concerns for the 61-year-old woman’s welfare and an extensive search continues across the Gold Coast, Logan and Brisbane.
A crime scene was declared at an Elanora home earlier in the week after a large amount of blood was found at the property.
But Murdok’s lawyer Rodney Keyte said the case against his client was weak despite the seriousness of the charges, which included various domestic violence-related charges and criminal counts of kidnapping, assault, stalking and attempted arson.
Based on the circumstantial evidence, Keyte said he highly doubted the case would make it past the committal stage and questioned what tied his client to the scene.
In opposing bail, police prosecutors argued they had a “very strong and very powerful” case against Murdok.
Officers found a pool of blood on the bathroom floor and drag marks along the floor, indicating the victim was bleeding heavily and unconscious, prosecutors said in court.
Sleeman feared for her own safety and believed Murdok might try to kill her as recently as January 23, the court heard.
Meanwhile, police are concentrating on the search for a blue Honda Jazz hatchback with no registration plates linked to Sleeman’s disappearance.
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The car was last seen at 5.50pm on Tuesday at the intersection of Paradise Road and Kingston Road in Logan Central.
“If someone sees a blue Jazz with no number plates, ring,” Detective Superintendent Brendan Smith said on Thursday.
“We’ve got to find Wendy before it’s too late.”
Evidence gathered so far point to the events at the property being planned, Smith claimed to reporters.
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Sleeman had called police after discovering a disturbance at her home on Tuesday afternoon.
“She came home from work, and the house had been given some forced entry, and she noticed some damage,” Smith said.
By the time police arrived 30 minutes later, Sleeman was missing.
Officers were unable to intercept a vehicle that was leaving the property at speed and went back to the property where they could smell petrol and see smoke, the court was told.
Police claimed that the scene indicated there had been violence involved in the disappearance, while and that there was also evidence of a fire that had started but was extinguished.
