NSW: Officer says he believes Rix is the likely killer of teen

AAP General News (Australia)
02-01-2007
NSW: Officer says he believes Rix is the likely killer of teen

SYDNEY, Feb 1 AAP - A police officer has identified in court the man he suspects was
the killer of Arron Light, the Sydney teenager whose remains were found in a shallow grave
five years ago.

Detective Inspector Brad Monk, giving evidence at the inquest into the death of the
17-year-old male prostitute, said he suspected a "person of interest" to the hearing,
Frederick George Rix, was responsible for the killing.

Arron had disappeared just before he was to give evidence against Mr Rix, who was charged
in 1996 with sexually assaulting him.

Giving evidence today in Glebe Coroner's Court, Det Insp Monk, who was the case officer
for the investigation from 1995 to 1997, said he believed Mr Rix may have killed Arron
when fears were first raised the teenager may be dead.

Mr Rix is a person of interest in the death of Arron, whose remains were discovered
buried on the banks of a canal in Sydney's inner-west in March 2002.

Following Arron's disappearance, the prosecution offered no evidence in Mr Rix's trial
and he was subsequently acquitted.

Det Insp Monk, a senior constable at the time of the investigation, told the inquest
he feared Arron might be dead after his mother had reported him missing on December 12,
1997.

Asked by counsel assisting the inquiry, Ron Hoenig, if he was concerned Arron Light
might be dead, Det Insp Monk said he had "concerns when we couldn't locate him".

Did he have concerns Arron had been killed, Mr Hoenig then asked.

"Yes," Det Insp Monk replied.

"Was it your opinion that Frederick Rix may have killed him?" Mr Hoenig asked.

"Yes," he said.

Det Insp Monk also told the court that Arron had expressed concerns of someone "being
after him" around the time of the Rix trial.

"I remember speaking to him once ... he was quite hysterical about someone being after
him, but he was quite irrational at the time," he said.

"But it was hard to say if it was fantasy."

Asked by NSW Deputy State Coroner Jacqueline Milledge if Arron was showing signs of
paranoia at the time, Det Insp Monk replied: "Yes".

Mr Hoenig said Arron had told other people "monsters were out to get him".

"I guess he was right?" Mr Hoenig asked.

"Well he's dead," Det Insp Monk replied.

The inquest continues.

AAP ab/sk/was/jt/nf

KEYWORD: LIGHT

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