Man charged with tragic hotel death three years after the incident
Three years after a woman plunged to her death from a luxury hotel balcony on Darling Harbour, the accused has finally been charged.
A 51-year-old man was charged by police over the domestic violence incident. He was arrested at a home in Engadine, south Sydney, about 9 am on Tuesday.
He is accused of locking his girlfriend, 45-year-old mother of two Jodie Lovell on the balcony before her death on May 22, 2020,
The pair had been on a night out before heading back to their $509-per-night room at the Hyatt Regency in Darling Harbour.
Lovell fell to the hotel's first-floor rooftop, where the body was found.
Detectives established Strike Force Cumulus to investigate Lovell's death after the incident.
“He was charged with take/detain person with intent to obtain advantage (domestic violence),' the police said in a statement.
“Police will allege in court that the man locked the woman out on the balcony prior to her fall.”
The man is on conditional bail and will appear at Sutherland Local Court on January 12, 2024.
Jonathan Jackson, 13th December 2023
