Vic: Weightlifter remanded after court hearing

AAP General News (Australia)
08-04-2004
Vic: Weightlifter remanded after court hearing

Eds: Changes keyword from ILARDI to DETENAMO



By Jamie Duncan

MELBOURNE, Aug 4 AAP - A former Nauru Olympic weightlifter charged with the murder
of a Melbourne street prostitute was today remanded in custody after a brief court appearance.

Quincy Detenamo, 25, of the Buada district of Nauru, who represented Nauru at the 1996
Atlanta Olympic Games, has been charged with the murder last month of Grace Ilardi.

The battered body of Ms Ilardi, 39, was found in a lane in Elwood, in Melbourne's inner
south, about 7am (AEST) on July 17.

Detenamo was arrested at Melbourne Airport at 10pm (AEST) yesterday after he voluntarily
returned from a trip to Nauru, a tiny Pacific nation of 13,000 people, and appeared in
the Melbourne Magistrates Court today.

Detenamo became one of the first three people to represent Nauru at the Olympic Games
when he competed at Atlanta in 1996.

His uncle, Vinson Detenamo, is a member of Nauru's parliament and the president of
the Nauru Olympic Committee.

Detenamo also competed at the Commonwealth Games in 1998 and 2002 and has been coached
in Fiji by Australian weightlifting identity Paul Coffa.

Mr Coffa said Detenamo had not planned to compete at the Athens Olympics.

During Detenamo's brief filing hearing today, the court was told police had applied
for forensic samples from him.

Detenamo did not apply for bail and was not required to enter a plea.

Defence counsel Peter Mellas said time was needed to locate a interpreter for Detenamo.

Magistrate Paul Smith agreed and remanded Detenamo to re-appear in the court on August 16.

Speaking from his home in Fiji, Mr Coffa said he was shocked by the charge against
Detenamo and said it would also upset fellow lifters, some of whom were training for the
Olympic Games.

Mr Coffa said he was a good lifter and "a good kid".

"I've known this kid for so many years, since I was the sports director (at the Nauru
Olympic Committee) in 1994.

"He's been training here for the past six months and all the kids here will be devastated."

Detenamo was last month called to give evidence for Australian weightlifter Caroline
Pileggi's appeal in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal against a two-year ban imposed
by the Australian Drug Sports Agency (ADSA).

ADSA had earlier found Pileggi had refused a drug test while on a training camp at
the Fiji gym where Detenamo also trained.

AAP jrd/gfr/bes/bwl/sp

KEYWORD: DETENAMO (CHANGES KEYWORD)

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