No Pacific cruise for Caleo murder accused

A man on bail for allegedly hiring a hit man to carry out the 1990 murder of Sydney woman Rita Caleo will not be allowed to go on an overseas holiday.

Rita Caleo

A man accused of murdering Sydney woman Rita Caleo won't be allowed to go on a cruise while on bail. (AAP)

A man accused of organising the murders of his wife and brother-in-law will no longer be able to go on a two-week cruise around the Pacific while on bail, a Sydney court has heard.

Mark Richard Caleo, 53, is accused of murder and soliciting to murder Rita Caleo in 1990 and her brother Dr Michael Chye in 1989.

They were allegedly killed by a hit man in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs.

Caleo was granted bail last November with conditions including surrendering his passport.

But last month he successfully applied to Magistrate John Andrews to have his bail conditions amended so he could go on an overseas cruise at Christmas with his family.

At Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday, the prosecution successfully sought to overturn the bail changes because of fresh concerns Caleo is a flight risk and issues regarding the protection of overseas witnesses.

"NSW police believe that these witnesses could be endangered by Mr Caleo being allowed to travel overseas," prosecutor Victoria Garrity said.

Caleo's lawyer denied the suggestions, saying his client is fixed to Australia and has no intention of fleeing or interfering with any witnesses.

When overturning the original bail variation that would have allowed Caleo to travel, Mr Andrews said it was "unfortunate" that the application came at a time when Caleo had an expectation he could go on the non-refundable trip.

Mr Andrews also said the long committal procedures had effectively been "blown out" by the extradition of the co-accused.

Alani Afu, 49, accused of the stabbing murder of Rita Caleo, was extradited from Tonga by NSW police in September.

He appeared briefly via audio-visual link on Tuesday during a police application for a forensic procedure. It will be heard at a future date.


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world