Murder of Michelle Leng

On 22 April 2016, at Campsie in Sydney, New South Wales, 25-year-old Chinese student Michelle Leng was bound, gagged and murdered by her uncle Derek Barrett, after he detained her inside the family home while his wife was away on a work trip. Barrett photographed Leng while she was restrained before fatally stabbing her multiple times. Two days later, he wrapped her body in plastic, drove it to Snapper Point on the New South Wales Central Coast and disposed of it in a coastal blowhole, where it was discovered by tourists on 24 April.

Leng was originally from Chengdu, China, had moved to Australia in 2011 to study and lived with her aunt's family in Campsie while attending the University of Technology Sydney and later the Sydney Institute of Interpreting and Translation. During the investigation, detectives recovered photographs and videos from Barrett's electronic devices showing that he had secretly filmed Leng over an extended period and had recorded images of her while she was bound. Police also uncovered evidence that Barrett had secretly filmed Leng and his stepdaughter in the bathroom and committed other sexual offences before the killing.

Barrett was arrested on 29 April 2016 and charged with murder before later facing numerous additional offences relating to sexual assault, unlawful detention and secretly recording Leng without her consent. In August 2017, he pleaded guilty to murder and several related offences. During sentencing, Justice Helen Wilson described the killing as "a despicable crime of extreme brutality and great wickedness" motivated by Barrett's "perverted sexual obsession" with the victim. He was sentenced to 46 years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of 34 years and six months.

Background Michelle Leng Michelle Leng , also known by her Chinese name Mengmei Leng, was born in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. She moved to Australia in 2011 to pursue higher education and lived with her aunt, her aunt's husband Derek Barrett, her cousin, and Barrett's stepdaughter at their home in the Sydney suburb of Campsie. Leng graduated with a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Technology Sydney and later studied at the Sydney Institute of Interpreting and Translation. According to her mother Mei Zhang, Leng had hoped to build a future in Australia after completing her studies. Following the death of Leng's father in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, mother and daughter developed a particularly close relationship and relied heavily on one another.

On 21 April 2016, Leng spent the afternoon shopping in Sydney's central business district before returning to Campsie by train. CCTV footage later released by police showed her arriving at Campsie railway station carrying shopping bags shortly before she disappeared.

Derek Barrett At the time of the killing, Derek Barrett was a 27-year-old information technology worker who lived in Campsie with his wife Leng's aunt and his stepdaughter. Investigators later recovered videos showing Barrett secretly filming Leng while she showered and recording himself committing indecent acts while she slept. Police also found evidence that he had installed hidden recording devices in the family home and had similarly filmed his stepdaughter without consent.

Murder On 21 April 2016, Leng was last seen by friends after leaving the University of Technology Sydney and travelling to Sydney's central business district for shopping. CCTV footage showed her walking through Pitt Street Mall and later arriving at Campsie railway station at about 4:30 p.m. carrying shopping bags and a takeaway drink. She continued communicating with friends later that evening, but her phone and social media activity later stopped.

During the investigation, police found evidence that Barrett had engaged in sexual misconduct towards Leng before the killing. Investigators recovered photographs and videos from his phone showing that he had secretly recorded Leng and committed other sexual offences against her. Police alleged that Barrett had developed a sexual obsession with Leng and that the murder followed a period in which he detained and assaulted her. The prosecution later presented the killing as a deliberate act rather than one caused by drug use, rejecting Barrett's claim that he could not remember the events because he had consumed methamphetamine and synthetic cannabis. At sentencing in 2017, Justice Helen Wilson described the crime as a "depraved and sadistic act" committed against a person who trusted Barrett and said the offence involved extreme violence, humiliation and terror. Police said the body had suffered multiple stab wounds consistent with a violent attack. A post-mortem examination later identified Leng as the missing university student after police compared the unidentified body with information provided by her family. Before her identity was confirmed, police released a computer-generated image of the woman's face in an attempt to identify her. The image led members of the public to suggest that the woman could be Leng, who had been reported missing after failing to return to her Campsie home. Her identity was formally confirmed through DNA testing on 29 April 2016.

On 29 April 2016, police arrested Barrett, and charged him with murder. He appeared before Parramatta Local Court via video link, where bail was refused.

Arrest and trial Barrett was initially charged with murder in April 2016 and maintained his legal position as the case progressed. In August 2017, he pleaded guilty to murdering Leng, as well as several offences relating to the recording of sexual acts and the treatment of Leng before her death. During an early court appearance in May 2016, Barrett's solicitor Bill Whitby said his client was "shocked and upset" and was struggling with his time in custody, describing conditions at the Sydney Police Centre as not "particularly attractive".

During sentencing proceedings in December 2017, the New South Wales Supreme Court heard that Barrett claimed he had little memory of the killing because he had used drugs before the offence. Justice Helen Wilson rejected this explanation, finding that Barrett was responsible for his actions and that the murder was motivated by a sexual obsession with Leng. The USB contained video and image files showing Barrett committing additional sexual offences against Leng shortly before her death. Police compared the files with evidence previously recovered from Barrett's phone and determined that they were connected to the same offences. The discovery resulted in Barrett facing additional charges, including aggravated sexual assault and indecent assault offences.

Barrett appeared before the New South Wales Supreme Court in relation to the additional charges and pleaded guilty to 17 offences. Prosecutors said the offences had not been dealt with during his original sentencing because the evidence was discovered later. During the proceedings, Justice Wilson said the newly discovered material demonstrated that further offending had occurred before Leng's murder. A forensic psychiatrist also told the court that Barrett had shown a lack of empathy and insight into his actions, while disputing Barrett's previous claim that drug use affected his memory of the crime. The additional offences were considered separately from Barrett's original murder conviction, for which he was already serving a 46-year sentence with a non-parole period of 34 years and 6 months.