Ex-groomsman denied bail over ‘brutal’ murder

A man accused of brutally murdering a father-of-two has been denied bail after being declared an unacceptable flight risk.

Emergency services were called to a home at Mount Tamborine, west of Queensland’s Gold Coast, after midday on June 29, 2023.

They found 37-year-old Matthew Berry with fatal injuries to his head and upper body.

Family and supporters of Matthew Berry were in court to hear his accused killer being refused bail.Credit: AAP

Daniel Robert McJannett, of Paradise Point, was charged a week later with his murder.

He was also accused of stealing CCTV equipment from Berry’s home and possessing a large amount of cannabis.

Matthew Berry’s body was found at his Tamborine home in late June 2023.Credit: Nine News

McJannett was a groomsman at Berry’s wedding two years before the alleged killing.

The now-39-year-old faced the Queensland Supreme Court in Brisbane on Thursday via video-link to apply for bail on his own behalf.

Due to the seriousness of the charge, McJannett needed to show cause for why his detention was unjustified, Justice Peter Callaghan said.

“He has been convicted many times for drug-related offending and there is also a record for weapons offending,” the judge said.

“There is nothing that suggests he was capable of the violence that attended the brutal murder for which he is now charged.”

McJannett said he would look for work and “things like that” if he was granted bail, confirming he was a qualified glazier and crane operator.

The 39-year-old should be denied release as he had a history of committing serious offences while on bail and parole, crown prosecutor Zachary Kaplan told the court.

“The case against him in relation to murder is a strong one,” Kaplan said.

“When he is before the Supreme Court on trial it will mark the third time in 10 years he has been before the state’s most significant court and now for the most serious offence in our criminal code.”

The value of McJannett’s pledge to attend counselling for “some unknown, untreated, undiagnosed and underlying feature” if granted bail was also questioned by the prosecution.

“That all casts the inevitable conclusion that McJannett is an unacceptable risk of committing further offences,” Kaplan said.

Callaghan said McJannett had made valid submissions but even stringent bail conditions would not be suitable.

“He faces a potentially strong case and the consequences of conviction will be severe so his incentive to flee is high,” he said.

“His record for drug offending by itself suggests he is a risk of further offences if granted bail.”

Callaghan refused bail and noted both McJannett and prosecutors wanted the case to proceed swiftly to trial.

AAP

Most Viewed in National

Loading