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A man accused of raping and murdering an eight-year-old girl in a toilet at a Perth shopping centre will be tried in October. Dante Wyndham Arthurs ,22, is charged with the wilful murder, sexual penetration and unlawful detention of Sofia Rodriguez-Urrutia- Shu in June last year. Her naked body was found on the floor of a toilet cubicle at Livingston Market Shopping Centre in Canning Vale. Geelong Advertiser (8-8-2007) |
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A MAN accused of raping and murdering an eight-year-old Perth school girl at a shopping centre will be tried by a judge alone. WA Chief Justice Wayne Martin made the decision in the West Australian Supreme Court today. Dante Wyndham Arthurs, 22, is charged with the wilful murder, sexual penetration and unlawful detention of Sofia Rodriguez-Urrutia-Shu in June last year. "It is in the interest of justice Mr Arthurs not be tried by a jury,'' Justice Martin said. Arthurs' lawyer Rod Keeley said media reporting had kept the case at the forefront of public consciousness. "This is one of those cases where the publicity generated risks a fair trial,'' Mr Keeley said. "This case has rarely been out of the papers for long.'' A 10-day trial has been set down for October. AAP (31-7-2007) |
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A MAN has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting and murdering an eight-year-old child in the toilet of a Perth shopping centre. The body of Sofia Rodriguez-Urrutia-Schu was found on the floor of a cubicle at Livingston Market Shopping Centre in the Perth suburb of Canning Vale on June 26. Dante Wyndham Arthurs, 21, of Canning Vale was later charged with wilful murder , sexual penetration of a child and deprivation of liberty. Mr Arthurs pleaded not guilty to all charges in the Perth Magistrates Court by video link from Casuarina Prison. Mr Arthurs has been remanded in custody until December 4. AAP (13-10-2006) |
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THE man accused of sexually assaulting and murdering a Perth school girl in a shopping centre toilet will be required to plead to the charges in October. The body of eight-year-old Sofia Rodriguez-Urrutia-Schu was found on the floor of a toilet cubicle at Livingston Market Shopping Centre in the Perth suburb of Canning Vale on June 26. Dante Wyndham Arthurs, 21, of Canning Vale was later charged with her wilful murder, sexual penetration of a child, and deprivation on liberty. He made a brief appearance in the Perth Magistrates Court today via video link from Casuarina Prison. The matter was adjourned until October 13 for committal. Magistrate Guiseppe Cicchini told Mr Arthurs he would be required to plead to the charges on that date. Mr Arthurs was remanded in custody. AAP (1-8-2006) |
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NOT since the discovery of Ciara Glennon in 1997, the last victim of the yet-to-be-solved Claremont serial killings, have West Australians been hit so hard by the death of one of their own. The senseless killing of Sofia Rodriguez-Urrutia Shu, abducted, stripped of her school uniform, raped and murdered in a disabled toilet in a busy suburban shopping centre, has seemingly ripped out the heart of the western capital. Talkback radio is in meltdown and letters to the local newspapers are heartbreakingly sad. People are visibly shaken. Women taking children to school are crying at the mention of the little girl's name. Everyone, it seems, knew someone like Sofia. Yesterday, at the Livingston Marketplace Shopping Centre at Canning Vale - where her body was discovered by her 14-year-old brother, Gabriel, on Monday afternoon - the scene had been transformed into a floral shrine as hundreds of people gathered to pay their respects. About 530 students from Gabriel's school, Carey Baptist College, consoled each other and whispered words of support as they laid flowers at the entrance to the centre. The mood around the shopping centre was sombre as strangers took a minute to remember an innocent life snuffed out. Busloads of students arrived at the centre throughout the day, with each group saying a prayer for the little girl and her family, who are active in the Catholic community. The college's principal, Des Mitchell, said the show of support was aimed at remembering Sofia's life rather than the tragic way in which she died. He said the flower-laying ceremony had been very emotional for many of the students who volunteered to attend. The emotions of many others were too fragile to deal with the grief and loss that confronted them by attending the scene of her death. "They did not want to go to a place that had been contravened in such a gross way," Mr Mitchell said. "The intention right from the outset was to find a way forwards." He said rather than being trapped by feelings of hatred and anger, the public show of support was a way of reclaiming the community. Mr Mitchell said he had been inundated with messages of support for yesterday's ceremony from as far afield as Beaconsfield in Tasmania. A person in Melbourne offered to send flowers to be laid in Sofia's memory. Mr Mitchell said Gabriel and his family had wanted to attend the ceremony but felt they were not ready to be publicly confronted with the scene of the murder. "This part of the journey will be a difficult one. We are representing the heartbeat of the community in this." Mr Mitchell said the family had been overwhelmed by support. Flowers, teddy bears and cards were left at the centre and near the toilet where Sofia was killed. A funeral mass will be held at Sofia's school chapel on Monday. Dante Wyndham Arthurs, 21, a part-time shop worker from Canning Vale, has been charged with Sofia's wilful murder, two counts of sexual penetration and deprivation of liberty. He is due to reappear in the Perth Magistrates Court on July 11. The Australian (1-7-2006) Alana Buckley-Carr |
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POLICE are furious that shopping centre security cameras that could have identified Sofia Rodriguez-Urrutia Shu's killer were not working on the day of her murder. The Sunday Times can reveal police had hoped the cameras, which overlook the entrance to public toilets in Livingston Marketplace, where Sofia was murdered on Monday, would shed light on the identity of the killer. But when they asked centre management for the tapes, detectives were told there was no footage. The Sunday Times understands the cameras were faulty or had not been switched on to record shoppers entering and leaving the toilets. Livingston Marketplace centre manager Paul Testar yesterday refused to comment on the cameras. But police said they were extremely disappointed the cameras were not rolling. It is believed the footage would have allowed detectives to pinpoint suspects who used the toilet at the time of the murder. The cameras may have also captured the killer dragging Sofia into the toilet for disabled people where her body was found. "It's pretty poor form," said a police source close to the investigation. "The cameras are right there, looking down the corridor. "They were in the perfect position. They would have clearly showed him (the killer) coming and going. "It's a fairly new shopping centre and you'd expect the cameras to be up and running properly. "It wouldn't have prevented the murder, but it certainly would have made the investigation a lot easier." Property Council of Australia executive director Joe Lenzo said shopping centres should consider better security precautions, including paid toilet attendants. Mr Lenzo said shopping centre managers always wanted their cameras working, but "things do break down from time to time". "It would be unusual if the cameras weren't working. That's not the norm," he said. "Certainly the shopping centres want to have their cameras working. It's in their best interests." The Sunday Times (2-07-2006) |
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THE toilets where eight-year-old Sofia Rodriguez-Urrutia Shu was killed last week were a hangout for gay men cruising for sex. On Friday, the Livingston Marketplace shopping centre in Perth's southern outskirts was taken off the Canadian-based website, squirt.org, which is promoted as "the dating site that caters to the sex pig". The Livingston centre toilets were listed among thousands of other family-friendly areas across Australia, which are ranked for their "cruising quality", regarding how easy it is to have sex without getting caught. While police have not found any link between Sofia's alleged killer and the website, a police spokesman said the newly formed "cyber predator" team would add the site to those it regularly monitored. And while some shopping centres named on the site were aware of the seedy postings, all they could do to prevent sex in their restrooms was upgrade security. Colliers International, manager of the Livingston centre, refused to comment. The spotlight has been firmly on security in public shopping centre toilets since Sofia's death 10 days ago. She was killed after separating from her uncle and elder brother to go to the toilet. Her body was found on the floor of a disabled toilet just minutes after her family began searching for her. Dante Wyndham Arthurs has been arrested and charged with her murder. Squirt.org provides tips to gay men on how to determine if someone is ready for sex and the best times for meeting up. One of Perth's busiest shopping centres, the Myer city store, is, according to the site, best frequented at lunchtime or mid-afternoon, with the "cruisiest" spot being the "toilets on level 2 behind Kidswear". According to the site, there are two peepholes in the middle cubicle. "Make some movement and let the guy in the other cubicle know it's on for a show," the site listing says. One member's posting on the site last month said he "had a hot time in there during the week with a guy". The Australian (7-7-2006) Alana Buckley-Carr |
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THE man accused of murdering an eight-year-old Perth schoolgirl might not receive a fair trial because of malicious rumours, prosecutors said today. Dante Wyndham Arthurs, 21, of Canning Vale, is in custody in Perth charged with wilful murder, sexual penetration of a child and deprivation of liberty. He was charged following the discovery on Monday of the body of Sofia Rodriguez-Urrutia-Shu on the floor of a disabled toilet at Livingstone Market shopping centre in Canning Vale. Police have appealed to the media not to publish information which might prejudice a fair trial. These concerns were echoed in the WA Supreme Court today, when Mr Arthurs made a brief appearance via video-link from Graylands Hospital in Perth's west. Prosecutor Ken Bates expressed "deep concerns" that the "malicious emails" may have compromised Mr Arthurs' right to a fair trial. Mr Bates said fingerprint evidence had demonstrated the allegations contained in the emails were totally baseless. Mr Arthurs had been "born and bred in WA", Mr Bates said. Judge John McKechnie remanded Mr Arthurs in custody until July 11, when he will reappear before the Perth Magistrates' Court. Mr Arthurs made no application for bail. AAP (29-06-2006) Adam Gartrell |
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A PERTH community has rallied around the shattered family of a "sweet and affectionate" eight-year-old schoolgirl who was found murdered in a shopping centre toilet. Sofia Rodriguez-Urrutia-Shu's naked body was found by her 14-year-old brother on Monday, 10 minutes after she went to the toilet at the Livingston Market Place shopping centre in Canning Vale, in Perth's south. A 21-year-old man from the Canning Vale area has been charged with wilful murder, sexual penetration of a child, and deprivation of liberty. Sofia's school, Mater Christi Catholic Primary School in Yangebup, today held prayer services for the little girl. A school spokeswoman said a shrine had been set up for Sofia in the school grounds and counsellors were helping the girl's friends and classmates. Parish priest Bryan Rosling said Sofia was a well-behaved and well-liked girl, from a respected and admired family, which had been shattered by her senseless death. "She was just a gorgeous little girl, and she will always be that now," Mr Rosling said. "(She was) very sweet, very quiet, affectionate and much loved by everyone." Mr Rosling said he had received many messages of support and offers of help for the family from the local community, and the family was very appreciative. "I have assured them of our prayers, our support, anything the school can offer them, we are offering them," he said. "They are very close and they are in torment. "They are a wonderful Christian family with tremendous ideals." Mr Rosling said Sofia's murder may change the school. "I don't know if any good will come out of it, but I hope there will be," he said. "I hope it is a reminder to everyone that we need to appreciate each other as treasures, as precious, and only on loan. "There are no answers to a thing like this, so it is a test of faith for all of us." Mr Rosling said no arrangements had yet been made for Sofia's funeral. AAP (28-06-2006) Adam Gartrell |
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A PERTH school is holding prayer services today for an eight-year-old pupil who was sexually assaulted and killed in a shopping centre toilet. Sofia Rodrigez-Urrutia-Shu's body was found by her 14-year-old brother on Monday afternoon, 10 minutes after she went to the toilet at the Livingstone Market shopping centre in suburban Canning Vale. She had been stripped of her school uniform, raped and strangled within minutes of leaving family members. Sofia's school, the Mater Christi Catholic Primary School in south suburban Yangebup, is holding prayer services for the little girl in all the classrooms. A school spokeswoman said a shrine for Sofia had been set up in the school grounds. Counsellors were at the school yesterday and would be there again today to help Sofia's friends and classmates. The mood at the school was "sombre", the spokeswoman said. "Everyone is walking around in shock." Police have said the girl's only mistake was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. In what police have described as an appalling atrocity against a vulnerable innocent girl, Dante Wyndham Arthurs, a 21-year-old part-time shop worker, was last night in custody after being charged with wilful murder, two counts of sexual penetration and deprivation of liberty. Sofia's family, active members of the Catholic community in Perth's southern outskirts, said they were struggling to comprehend the murder of their youngest daughter. "We are all devastated by the sudden and senseless loss of Sofia," they said in a statement. "We have received immense support from the police, the parish and from the school community which we greatly appreciate. "Please keep Sofia and our family in your thoughts and prayers." Her father was on a business trip in Hong Kong when his daughter's body was discovered. He flew back to Perth yesterday morning. Police spent yesterday searching Mr Arthurs's brick house and taking away items for forensic examination. They also set up a post at the Livingston Marketplace shopping centre and were hoping to gather more information from shoppers who were at the scene on Monday afternoon. They have seized surveillance video taken inside the shopping mall. Detective Senior Sergeant John Wibberley, of Perth's Major Crime Squad, said the three Rodrigez-Urrutia-Shu children - Sofia, her 14-year-old brother and 11-year-old sister whose names have been withheld - had been taken to the shopping centre after school on Monday by an uncle. At about 4pm, Sofia went to the toilet while the other three waited inside the shopping centre. When she had not appeared after 10 minutes or so, they went looking for her and checked the male, female and disabled toilets. Both the male and female toilets were empty, but the door was closed on the disabled toilet and the occupied sign engaged. When the boy knocked on the door, a man's voice acknowledged there was someone inside. The brother then left and searched the car park. When he returned five minutes later, he saw the man quickly emerge from the disabled toilet and run past him. The boy looked into the cubicle, saw his sister's body and then chased the man. Unsure of what to do, he gave up after a few metres, ran back to the toilet and sat with his dead sister until help arrived. At 4am yesterday, detectives raided a house in Jeremiah Way, not far from the shopping centre, and arrested Mr Arthurs, who was in his bedroom at the time. He was taken to Canning Vale police station, interviewed and charged yesterday afternoon. He later appeared in Perth Magistrates Court, before magistrate Barbara Lane. He was not required to enter a plea. He was remanded in custody to reappear on July 11. Mr Arthurs's father, Ron, told The Australian how he and his wife Suzanne were "shattered" when detectives arrested their son. The brutal killing has stunned Perth and follows the murder of 15-year-old Collie girl Eliza Davis, who was strangled with speaker wire and buried underneath a house in the southwest coal mining town last week. Two of her friends have been charged with her murder. NEWS.com.au (28-06-2006) staff writers and wires |
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A PERTH school is holding prayer services today for an eight-year-old pupil who was sexually assaulted and killed in a shopping centre toilet. Sofia Rodrigez-Urrutia-Shu's body was found by her 14-year-old brother on Monday afternoon, 10 minutes after she went to the toilet at the Livingstone Market shopping centre in suburban Canning Vale. Her school, the Mater Christi Catholic Primary School in south suburban Yangebup, is holding prayer services for the little girl in all the classrooms. A school spokeswoman said a shrine for Sofia had been set up in the school grounds. Counsellors were at the school yesterday and would be there again today to help Sofia's friends and classmates. The mood at the school was “sombre”, the spokeswoman said. “Everyone is walking around in shock.” A 21-year-old man from the Canning Vale area has been charged with murder and sexual assault. AAP (28-06-2006) |
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AN eight-year-old girl found dead in a Perth shopping centre toilet was quiet, affectionate and popular, her parish priest said today. Sofia Rodrigez-Urrutia-Shu's body was found by her 14-year-old brother on Monday, 10 minutes after she went to the toilet at the Livingstone Market shopping centre in suburban Canning Vale. Mater Christi Catholic Primary School parish priest Bryan Rosling said today Sofia was well behaved and well liked. "She was just a gorgeous little girl, and she will always be that now," Father Rosling said today. "(She was) very sweet, very quiet, affectionate and much loved by everyone." Sofia's family were still in shock, he said. "They are very close and they are in torment. "They are a wonderful Christian family with tremendous ideals. "They are just a beautiful family who everyone, I think, could relate with." AAP (28-06-2006) |
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Police in Perth have been forced to deny that a man accused of murdering an eight-year-old schoolgirl is one of the killers of British boy James Bulger. Dante Wyndham Arthurs, 21, of Canning Vale, was remanded in custody after appearing in Perth Magistrates Court charged with wilful murder, sexual penetration of a child and deprivation of liberty. He was charged following the discovery on Monday of the body of Sofia Rodriguez-Urrutia-Shu on the floor of a disabled toilet at Livingstone Market shopping centre in Canning Vale. Since his arrest rumours have circulated, including that Arthurs was one of two 10-year-old boys convicted of abducting three-year-old James Bulger from a Liverpool shopping centre in 1993 and killing him near a canal. West Australian police have been forced to issue a statement saying they were aware of the rumours but had failed to substantiate them. "The rumours are speculative and without ground," WA Police Deputy Commissioner Chris Dawson said in a statement. Mr Dawson said the overriding public interest was for the case against Arthurs to proceed unhindered, and he appealed to the media not to publish information which may prejudice a fair trial. There was a public outcry in Britain in 2001 when the two killers of James Bulger, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, were released from prison and given new identities. Details of their new names and locations have not been released, but the new rumours are believed to be based on speculation that one of the pair began a new life in Australia. Meanwhile, Perth has rallied around the shattered family of Sofia. Sofia's school, the Mater Christi Catholic Primary School in Yangebup, held prayer services for the little girl. A school spokeswoman said a shrine had been set up for Sofia in the school grounds and counsellors were helping the girl's friends and classmates. Parish priest Bryan Rosling said Sofia was a well behaved and well liked girl, from a respected and admired family, which had been shattered by her senseless death. "She was just a gorgeous little girl, and she will always be that now," Fr Rosling told reporters. "(She was) very sweet, very quiet, affectionate and much loved by everyone." Fr Rosling said he had received many messages of support and offers of help for the family from the local community, and the family was very appreciative. "I have assured them of our prayers, our support, anything the school can offer them, we are offering them," he said. "They are very close and they are in torment. "They are a wonderful Christian family with tremendousideals." Fr Rosling said Sofia's murder was likely to change the fabric of the school. "I don't know if any good will come out of it, but I hope there will be," he said. "I hope it is a reminder to everyone that we need to appreciate each other as treasures, as precious, and only on loan. "There are no answers to a thing like this, so it is a test of faith for all of us." Fr Rosling said no arrangements had yet been made for Sofia's funeral. Clive Hunton, of the British High Commission press office in Canberra, said on Wednesday night: "There is no connection between the man arrested in Western Australia and the individuals involved in the James Bulger case." AAP (28-6-2006) |
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AN eight-year-old girl murdered in a Perth shopping centre may have been under attack as her uncle and brother knocked on the door of the disabled toilet where she died. Dante Wyndham Arthurs, 21, was charged yesterday over the death of Sofia Rodriguez-Urrutia-Shu, who police believe was snatched at random before allegedly being sexually assaulted and killed at the Livingstone Market shopping centre in suburban Canning Vale. The schoolgirl, from the neighbouring suburb of Banjup, left her uncle, 14-year-old brother and 11-year-old sister to go to a toilet in the shopping centre about 4pm on Monday, police said. When Sofia failed to emerge within a few minutes, her uncle and brother searched the female and male toilets but could not find her. They got no response when they knocked on the locked door of the disabled toilet, where police say the girl probably was being attacked at the time. After searching the car park, her brother returned to the toilets and found Sofia's naked body on the toilet floor, as a man fled. The boy briefly gave chase before returning to his sister's body, police said. Her clothes were found piled nearby. "We are all devastated by the sudden and senseless loss of Sofia," her family said in a statement issued through police. "Please keep Sofia and our family in your thoughts and prayers." Police who went to a house in Canning Vale yesterday later charged Arthurs with wilful murder, deprivation of liberty and two counts of sexual penetration. Arthurs appeared briefly in Perth Magistrates Court and was remanded in custody to reappear on July 11. Detective Senior Sergeant John Wibberley said it was not clear if Sofia had wandered into the disabled toilet or had been snatched from the female toilets. A post-mortem examination is expected to confirm the cause of death today. Sgt Wibberley said the girl's father had flown back from a business trip in Hong Kong to be with his family. "The family is absolutely distraught, as you can imagine," Sgt Wibberley said. "It is probably the worst nightmare for any family with a young child. It's a horrific offence against an innocent young child who . . . has made the fatal mistake of being in the wrong place at the wrong time." In their statement, Sofia's family said they had received "immense support" from the police, the parish and from the school community. "We . . . ask that you respect our privacy and allow us to deal with our grief," the family said. Police officers spent most of yesterday interviewing witnesses and shopping centre employees. AAP (28-6-2006) Adam Gartrell |
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Federal Justice Minister Chris Ellison has quashed rumours that the man accused of murdering an eight-year-old Perth schoolgirl is linked to the 1993 killing of British boy James Bulger. Senator Ellison says he is aware of allegations that the 21-year-old accused of this week's murder was one of two 10-year-olds who killed the toddler after luring him from a Liverpool shopping centre. The two youths were released from jail in 2001, but Senator Ellison says they are not living in Australia. He says the rumours linking the two cases are irresponsible. "I can categorically say that the person who has been arrested is not one of the two who have been convicted for the murder of James Bulger," he said. "And indeed the email that has been circulating is scurrilous and false. "We have not allowed into Australia either of those two offenders." Police are winding up their investigation at the Perth shopping centre where eight-year-old Sofia Rodrigez Urrutia Shu was murdered. Forensic police have been gathering evidence from the Livingstone Market Place Shopping Centre in south Perth all day. Major Crime Squad spokesman Detective Senior Sergeant John Wibberley said all areas of the police service had done a lot of work. "Forensic fellows, uniform fellows and detectives," he said. "It's been a good job by everybody." A 21-year-old man appeared in court yesterday charged with murdering the girl on Monday afternoon. www.abc.net.au (28-6-2006) |
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