House painter matches profile of Paula Brown's killer

SYDNEY - Police yesterday named a suspect for the first time in the case of a New Zealand hairdresser whose battered body was found in Sydney bushland six years ago.

Paula Brown, 30, was last seen alive in inner-city Darlinghurst early on May 4, 1996, after a night out with friends.

Her body was found eight days later near a car park at Port Botany, south of the central city.

An autopsy revealed she died from two blows to her head and there was a strong suggestion she had been sexually assaulted.

Nobody has been charged over her death, but on the first day of an inquest in Sydney, police said house painter Martin Trejbal matched the profile of her killer.

Mr Trejbal told the inquest he knew nothing about Miss Brown's death. He then used his legal right not to answer a series of questions, including where he was the night Miss Brown disappeared.

Earlier, Detective Sergeant Michael Fitzgerald told the inquest that Mr Trejbal was one of two men who matched a profile drawn up by the Australian Bureau of Criminal Intelligence.

"It is my belief Mr Trejbal was involved in or had intimate knowledge of the murder of Paula Brown," he said.

Mr Trejbal told police on May 15, 1996, that he had information from another man about the murder, but officers had been unable to confirm the existence of that man.

According to the profile, Miss Brown's killer was a Caucasian man at least 25 years old and with a history of violence, and who knew the murder scene well.

The profile indicated the man had not intended to kill Miss Brown but had wanted to have sex with her.

Mr Fitzgerald said that, at the time of the murder, Mr Trejbal lived within 2km of where Miss Brown's body was found.

Counsel assisting the coroner, Phillip Boulten, said Miss Brown was last seen in Sydney's Oxford St, after having been to dinner and then to a hotel for drinks.

"By the time she left [the hotel] she was well affected by alcohol and was probably not completely in control," he said.

Coroner Jacqueline Milledge said Mr Trejbal's refusal to answer questions did not mean he was responsible for Miss Brown's murder. His answers might have incriminated him on other matters.

Miss Brown, described by friends as a bubbly person, managed a hairdressing salon in The Rocks area of Sydney at the time of her death.

Her fiance, David Rayner, said outside the court he hoped the hearing would help to solve her murder.

"I remember Paula as a beautiful young lady," he said.

"What they actually did to her should not have been done to a dog or any animal at all."

The hearing continues.

- NZPA