From The Australian. I'm Claire Harvey. We're hoping you're having a great holiday break and today we're bringing you one of our favorite episodes from the year. This episode originally aired on February twenty six after former New South Wales police officer bo Lamar Condon was charged with the murder of TV presenter Jesse Baird and his partner, flight attendant Luke Davies. The matter has moved slowly through the courts this year, and Lamar Condon has yet to enter a plea.
The Front will return with all new episodes on Monday, January thirteenth. Just hit follow or subscribe to make sure you don't miss an episode. I don't know. When celebrities like American reality star Courtney Kardashian come to places like Australia, their rental homes and hotels are surrounded by two types of people working paparazzi photographers, some of whom fly around the world stalking their prey, and celebrity fans. I got
three got through, they got the street guts stream. The celebrity fans are ordinary people who work out where celebrities will be staying or dining or shopping. Once we would have called them autograph hunters. Now they're looking for one thing, only, the most valuable commodity of all in this social media age,
a selfie. Courtney Kardashian was in Sydney with her husband Travis Barker earlier this month, and mopping her along with the paps and the other celebrity fans, was a darkheaded guy aged in his late.
Twenties looking at a laugh for it.
His name is bo Lamar Condon and he got a selfie with Kardashian, which he uploaded to his Instagram to go with the shots of him with Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, lots of the world's biggest names. But the thing that makes bau Lamar Condon different is that he's a serving New South Wales police officer.
It was as if he was essentially hanging out quote unquote backstage with them, but the reality of it all was that he'd spent hours waiting outside her house and followed her to take a quick three second selfie with her. It really gives a fascinating insight into his mind.
Liam Mendez is a reporter with The Australian. He first met bo Lamar around ten years ago for the first time at a movie premiere where Liam was taking photograph.
Lamar Condon was in his late teens, quite skinny and scrawny, which is obviously quite different to his appearance now. But what really stood out to me was his pure obsession with certain celebrities. He would spend hours at red carpets, airports and hotels waiting to get photographs with these celebrities. And the interesting thing is is that he built this online persona that he was friends with these celebrities and
that he was hanging out with them. He also asked me to photograph his twentieth birthday party to.
The media in Sydney. Bolamar Condon has seemed a bit of a curiosity, this slightly eccentric, seeming young corp.
Another interesting part of him was his social media profiles, where he had all of these photographs of him apparently jet setting away on private jets and he was carrying expensive designer bags, but in reality he was driving around in a twenty twelve model Gray Holden cruise. He really wanted to paint a picture of himself online. It was a very curated image.
A few years ago, a different kind of video of Lamar Condon went viral. The video showed Lamar Condon in Darlinghurst, inner City, Sydney, in his police uniform, which in the New South Wales Police includes a taser, capsicum spray and a semi automatic glock pistol, tussling with a thirty one year old man. It's twenty twenty. Lamar Condon is shouting,
put your hands in front of you. Now. That crackle you can hear is the taser, as Lamar Condon fires it in close proximity to the man, Chris Bradshaw, who has his hands up to protect his face. Bradshaw was later convicted of intimidation and resisting rest. Lamar Condon gave evidence at his trial and the police investigation cleared Lamar Condon of any wrongdoing. And then just in the past few days, Lamar Condon's name was suddenly making national news.
He was the person of interest in the disappearance of a Sydney couple. TV presenter Jessebaird and his boyfriend Luke Davies. Police have searched a home here on Wait Avenue in Balmain and seized several items that they believe are connected to police officer Bea Lamark. Just twenty six Jessebaird had launched a promising television career backsha.
An alleged killer and a wanted man strolling barefoot through a suburban street in grays Point.
This is New South.
Wales cop Beau Lamar Condon and the net is tightening.
On Wednesday morning, a worker was putting some rubbish in a skippin in Cronulla, a beachside suburb forty minutes drive south of Sydney's CBD. The worker found something alarming watchers credit cards and some clothing that appeared to be covered in blood. Police were called. Cronulla Police station is on the same block as the club, and they identified the items as belonging to Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. That led them to Bird's home in Paddington, close to the city,
where they found large amounts of blood. The afternoon, everyone, this is Homicide Squad Commander Danny Doherty.
Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty, Commander Homicide Squad, State Crime Command. This morning, just after ten thirty am, police arrested a twenty eight year old man in relation to the suspicious disappearance of two men from Paddington. He was arrested at Bondi taking away Froo Police station place in custody. The update is at this stage charges have been submitted for two council murder.
Forensics officers searching the house found a spent cartridge from a gun, not just any gun, a police issue glock.
One of the main line of the quorras and be a strong line of a quarry that there's been a forum discharge which were already established. So we found a projector on a fired cartridge coach which matches a police firearm and that firearm belongs to the twenty eight year old man with charge today.
It's important to note both of mar Condon has been charged but hasn't yet entered a plea to the chargers, and of course, until the matter reaches court, these are unproven allegations. One of those police allegations will be that Lamar Condon checked the glock out of the station where he works in a youth command engaging with at risk young people before committing the murders, then checking it back in to another station. It'll also be alleged he was
previously in a relationship with Jessebaird. Coming up what happens next and why this case is deeply sensitive for the police and the victim's community. Well, I've got you. The Australian has been breaking all the news on this story and our subscribers are on top of every development with applots, newsletters and live updates around the clock. Check us out at Beaustralian dot com dot au and we'll be back
after this break. There have been big developments in this case and you can check out the latest at Beaustralian dot com dot au right now. But on Friday, police said Bolomar Condon was refusing to reveal anything so for Ie.
Society, we believe we've got sufficient evidence the charge, but in terms of information that we've received directly from that person now hasn't assisted us to date.
Danny Doherty said police weren't yet ready to declare a cause of death. What police are alleging is that Lamar Condon fired his weapon at the Paddington house and they're alleging he killed both Davies and Bed and took their bodies from the scene in a white van he'd hired from near Sydney Airport. There are allegations Lamar Condon then sent messages from Jessebaird's phone telling Jesse's housemates he'd decided
to move across the country to Perth. The message allegedly said he'd come and collect his furniture, but a subsequent message purporting to be from Jesse asked the housemates to put the furniture out on the street. On Friday, Lamar Condon turned himself into police and was arrested. Now he's in a cell on remand that is awaiting his court appearance in the notorious Metropolitan Remand and Reception Center in
Sydney's Silver Water Jail. When cops go to jail, they're generally put in protective custody in a cell by themselves and only allowed to mix with other prisoners in protection. All this is happening in a place and at a time that's very meaningful for the LGBTQI community. Paddington, where the murders allegedly happened, is right at the heart of the gay community, and it's the spiritual home of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Marti Gras, a month long festival
that's happening right now. The famous Marti Gras Parade is this Saturday March too. The parade's a celebration these days, but for many years it was a protest against discrimination and violence suffered by queer people, especially at the hands of police. At the first march back in nineteen seventy eight, police bashed and arrested dozens. Now the cops march proudly in the parade.
Nope, they can't hear a word. You're sad, but I'll tell you what the police marching is coming up here. Twelve and a half thousand reasons to smile.
The marches in Blue include both gay and lesbian liaison officers who work directly with the community, and the most senior police all the way up to Commissioner Karen Webb, the first top cop ever to join the march. Web has over the weekend given a formal apology to the community after a special inquiry found police were often indifferent, negligent, dismissive, or even hostile to the families of queer people murdered
in hate crimes in decades past. Web will be marching this Saturday too, with a community that hasn't forgotten the past, and which is waiting for answers about the loss of two much loved young men. You can read all the nation's best news, sport, politics and business anytime at the Australian dot com dot a u