Man arrested for 1998 murder of Denise Govendir

An 81-year-old man has been charged with the 1998 murder of Denise Govendir.

Transcript

00:00Just after 2 a.m. on Tuesday the 10th of March 1998, emergency services responded

00:06to reports of a home invasion on Dover Road and Dover Heights where they

00:11located the body of a 53 year old woman who was later identified as Denise

00:16Govender. On arrival, police were told the occupants of the home, a then 55

00:25year old man and Miss Govender had been assaulted by an unknown man who broke

00:30into the home by claiming to be police. It is alleged the unknown man struck the

00:36male occupant rendering him allegedly unconscious before restraining him with

00:42cable ties. The unknown man then allegedly proceeded to seriously assault

00:47Miss Govender and fled the scene in a white car which was a white 1997 Ford

00:54Laser sedan. The male occupant of the home called police after he had allegedly

01:00regained consciousness and officers attached to eastern suburbs assisted by

01:05State Crime Command's homicide detectives commenced investigation under

01:10Strifal School Act. In Saturday 21st of March 1998, 11 days later

01:17detectives located and recovered allegedly stolen car in Rose Bay about

01:231.7 kilometres from the Dover Heights home. A subsequent coronial inquest held

01:29between 2005 and 2008 confirmed Miss Govender died as a result of blunt force

01:34head injury intentionally inflicted by person or persons unknown at that time.

01:40In 2021, unsolved homicide team investigators re-investigated this matter

01:48under Strifal School Act 2. As a result of that re-investigation in November

01:532023, Homicide Squad with New South Wales Government announced a 1 million dollar

01:58reward for information that led to the arrest and conviction of the person or

02:03persons responsible for Miss Govender's murder. Following this protracted inquiry

02:10and investigations by the Homicide Squad's unsolved homicide team, about

02:1510.15am today, Strifal's detectives arrested an 81 year old man at Springwood

02:21Police Station where he has been now charged with one count of murder, bail

02:26refused and appearing at Penrith local court today.