Staff reporters
In a bizarre twist, it has emerged that a man who is being extradited to Sydney from the Northern Territory over the killing of Broadwater man Ned Kelly auditioned for a role in a movie while on the run.
Jonathon Stenberg ended up in the outback Queensland town of Winton late last month where casting was taking place for extras for the movie Mystery Road, which is being filmed around the town.
The cast includes Jack Thompson, Hugo Weaving and Ryan Kwanten.
On 23 June, the film’s second assistant director, Mark Ingram, was putting up posters outside the North Gregory Hotel advertising for extras when he was approached by Stenberg, who said he was looking to make some quick money.
He said Stenberg arrived so early that he asked him to come back in half an hour, and when the alleged killer returned he brought Mr Ingram a coffee.
Mr Ingram took Stenberg’s photo and told ABC radio this morning he thought he would be ideal for the part of a policeman.
‘He came across as a really nice guy, very organised, very comfortable to be around, very well spoken, very well mannered. And ironically… we thought “well this guy’s ex-military, he would know how to look good in a uniform. Okay, let’s cast him as a policeman”,’ Mr Ingram told ABC 702’s Adam Spencer this morning.
But Mr Ingram said that when he went to phone Stenberg the following day he couldn’t get through.
‘I then got an email from him to say, “Mark it was nice meeting you but I’m sorry I’ve had to head north”.’
He said Stenberg’s email claimed he had been offered work in the Northern Territory.
Stenberg was arrested by NT police on Sunday, 10 days after Mr Kelly’s decapitated body was first found in the kitchen of his River Street home.
The manhunt, which involved hundreds of officers, found Stenberg hiding in a bush camp after his ute was found abandoned, lightly camouflaged with branches.
A Darwin magistrate yesterday ordered Stenberg to Sydney to face murder charges.
