___________________________________
When
an accident occurs, correct police forensic procedures are followed.
Contrast
this with how
it
was done at
Port Arthur
,
911,
London
7/7,
Bali
,
etc. where
the evidence was quickly shoveled away on account of the grieving hurt that the
tragedy caused those directly affected by it.
_________________
7. Police examine cafe
owner's finances
By Michael Owen May 04,
2006
THE financial
situation of the cafe owner killed in the Pirie St Adelaide explosion is now a
focus of police investigations, with the businessman's brother-in-law yesterday
saying that "if people are pushed to breaking point, they can do
anything".
Police yesterday said JP's Cafe owner Frank Levato,
49, had acted alone in the city building before the blast and revealed that an
autopsy showed he had died as a result of the massive explosion in the early
hours of Tuesday.
Mr Levato's 46-year-old widow, Lucy, and
children Paul, 25, Chantelle, 16, and Jesse, 14, yesterday remained unable to
speak publicly about their loss.
But Remo Parente, the brother of Mr Levato's
widow, said: "It does surprise me that he would be involved in any way with
causing the explosion."
Asked if he thought Mr Levato, a dedicated
family and business man, was capable of deliberately causing an explosion, Mr
Parente, 39, said: "Anyone under a certain set of circumstances is capable
of doing anything. If people are pushed to breaking point, they can do
anything." But he said there were no financial issues "anyone was
aware of".
"I've never heard any mention of financial
problems," he said. "I would be surprised if he was in financial
difficulty. He had owned salons and had sold a shampoo manufacturing company
years ago.
Mr Parente had known Mr Levato for more than 30
years and was his next-door neighbour at Glynde.
"I still can't believe this has happened
... my sister is taking it really bad still. It's an awfully hard thing to deal
with."
The explosion ripped through JP's Cafe, the
Wine Underground restaurant and bar and a Jogger's World store at 3.15am (ACST).
Just hours after police Superintendent Paul
Schramm yesterday confirmed petrol was the most likely fuel, Adelaide man Mark
Drake came forward, claiming to have seen Mr Levato acting suspiciously just
before the explosion.
"I saw the chap in a Magna out the front
here, circling the block, probably four or five times, probably between two and
three o'clock in the morning and more or less looking at what we're doing,"
he said.
"Then, probably 10 minutes after seeing us
for the last time, he left and then that explosion happened."
Jerry cans from the scene, along with several
other items, will undergo chemical analysis.
Police said results from forensic testing could
take "some considerable time" and would form part of a report to the
State Coroner.
The blast was first thought to have been caused
by a gas leak, but police say they are now focusing on petrol.
As the police investigation today turns to
establishing a motive behind the explosion, Supt Schramm said there was "no
evidence that anyone else was involved". He would not comment on reports
suggesting the business Mr Levato ran with son Paul was behind in its lease
payments.
There also are rumours that Mr Levato was
linked to bikies, but Supt Schramm rejected this.
The body of Mr Levato, found under rubble at
the rear of the destroyed building nine hours after the explosion, was formally
identified yesterday.
He died when the rear wall of the building
collapsed on him under the force of the explosion.
His Mitsubishi Magna had been reversed up to
the rear exit of the building with its keys left in the ignition.
Anyone
with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
______________________
6.
Police reject city blast speculation - From:
AAP By Lauren Ahwan May 03, 2006
It was too early to speculate
on what caused a huge explosion that killed a man in Adelaide, despite the
presence of petrol cans and reports the deceased was experiencing financial
difficulty, police said today.
The body of 49-year-old cafe owner Frank Levato
was discovered under a large pile of rubble several hours after yesterday's
early morning blast.
The explosion guttered Mr Levato's street level
cafe, and also destroyed a basement wine bar and a first floor sports store.
Police today refused to detail the results of a
post-mortem examination of Mr Levato's body, out of respect for his family.
"It's suffice to say that Mr Levato died
as a result of the explosion," Superintendent Paul Schramm said.
Speculation has mounted since the blast that Mr
Levato, a father of three, was experiencing financial problems and was
reportedly behind in lease payments for his Pirie Street business, JP's Cafe.
There also are rumours that Mr Levato was
linked to bikies.
But Supt Schramm said there was no connection
to bikie gangs and police were still investigating Mr Levato's financial
affairs, as part of the normal course of any investigation.
Several petrol containers were seized from the
scene of the blast but Supt Schramm said it was too early to speculate on the
cause of the explosion.
"People will make their own assumptions in
relation to the jerry cans," he said.
"Certainly they are a part (of the
investigation).
"Just exactly what part they will play in
determining the final outcome remains to be seen.
"Clearly any implication that it (Mr
Levato's death) was other than an accident is very traumatic for the
family."
Supt Schraam said at this stage it appeared no
one else was involved in the explosion.
He said Mr Levato was last seen at 11pm (CST)
on Sunday. The blast occurred at 3am (CST) Monday.
Mr Levato's car was found reversed into a
nearby lane, with the keys left in the ignition.
Pirie Street, in the heart of the CBD, was
reopened early today, more than 26 hours after the blast.
The front facade of the building was ripped
down last night, exposing the damage to the sports store, where, surprisingly,
racks of clothing and shoe displays survived seemingly untouched.
An insurance assessor today said the force of
the blast appeared to have momentarily lifted the roof off the building.
A single bunch of flowers has been laid outside
the building, which today drew much attention from city commuters, many stopping
to take photos of the wreckage with their mobile phone cameras.
__________________________________
5.
Police find petrol cans at blast site - From AAP May 03, 2006
PETROL cans found
after a building explosion in Adelaide have become the focus of police
investigations into the blast which killed one man.
The body of the 49-year-old owner of JP's Cafe was
recovered from under rubble yesterday, several hours after the early morning
blast.
The explosion also destroyed a retail wine
outlet and a first-floor sports store.
Police have not released the dead man's
identity, but media reports have named him as Frank Levato, a father of three.
Police took several items from the scene for
forensic testing and later confirmed petrol cans were among the items found.
Mr Levato's car was found parked behind the
building with the keys in the ignition.
Police said investigations would continue today
to determine the cause of the explosion and any circumstances surrounding the
cafe owner's death.
"The investigation is still ongoing and
when we have all the facts and all the forensic tests have been returned, we
will provide that information to the coroner," said Superintendent Paul
Schramm.
"We don't rule out any possibility at this
stage."
Yesterday's 3am (CST) blast blew out the front
and rear sections of the two-storey building, showering wreckage across Pirie
Street.
Flying debris from the explosion also broke the
windows of a building across the street.
The destroyed building's facade was pulled down
overnight amid fears it might collapse.
Adelaide City Council officials said a decision
on the rest of the building would be made over the next few days, but it was
expected to be demolished.
Pirie Street has reopened to traffic this
morning.
__________________________
4.
Man's body found at blast site
- From:
AAP
May
02, 2006
THE
body of a man has been found in an
Adelaide
cafe
destroyed in an explosion early today.
Police
said the body was located at the back of the cafe following a search of the
premises.
Emergency
services spent several hours searching the
Pirie
Street
building, which houses the cafe and two other businesses in the city centre,
after the man's vehicle was located nearby shortly after the
3am
blast.
A
police spokesman said the body was yet to be formally identified but was
believed to be that of the missing man.
"A
short time ago the body of a middle-aged man was located at the back of the
premises.
"This
brings to a conclusion the tragic circumstances for the family," South
Australian police Superintendent Paul Schramm said at the scene.
A
post-mortem examination will be held tomorrow.
The
blast blew out the front and rear sections of the building and caused a big
section of wall to collapse.
It
also showered debris across the street and damaged a second building.
Supt
Schramm said it was a large explosion, but there was no evidence to suggest it
was a bomb.
He
was unsure how long the man had been in the building before the blast occurred.
"He
was found under a large pile of rubble, directly at the rear of the
premises," Supt Schramm said.
"It
would appear that the rear wall has collapsed on top of him.
"It
was an extremely large explosion. There are a whole range of things that could
cause an explosion of that magnitude.
"We
don't rule out any set of circumstances.
"The
investigation is still ongoing."
Investigators
would remain at the scene, searching debris for clues, he said.
"There
is still a lot of work to be done," Supt Schramm said.
"The
search of the premises will continue, to make sure there are no other further
persons in the premises.
"We
don't expect there are, but we need to make absolutely sure that's not the case.
"There
will (also) need to be forensic tests carried out ... to determine a
cause."
Supt
Schramm said police would liaise with the building's owner and Adelaide City
Council to further secure the building, but that it was expected to demolished.
"The
facade of the building is extremely dangerous," he said.
He
said the section of
Pirie
Street
near
the building would remain closed and might not reopen until late tomorrow.
________________________
3.
Man missing after building blast
- From:
AAP
May
02, 2006
POLICE
fear for the safety of an
Adelaide
man
missing after an early morning explosion in a central city building.
Investigators
are trying to enter the building in
Pirie
Street
after
an explosion severely damaged the premises about
3am
(CST)
today.
Police
said there were concerns for the owner of a cafe, one of three businesses in the
building.
Officers
were unable to contact him and his car had been found parked behind the
building, Superintendent Paul Schramm said.
"So
we can't completely rule out the fact that there may be an injured person in the
building," Supt Schramm said.
"We
don't want to speculate further on that.
"We
have been in contact with the relatives. Obviously they are extremely concerned.
"As
soon as we can safely enter the building and confirm whether or not anyone is
injured, we will do so and notify the relatives.
"We
are doing our very best to get in as soon as we can, safely."
An
employee of the cafe, Lisa Brook, said the missing man was dedicated to his
business.
She
said it was not unusual for him to be at work at such an early hour of the day.
"He's
a bit of a workaholic," she said.
Ms
Brooks said she had only been working at the cafe for six months but already
felt at home and was trying to stay calm for the sake of the man's family.
"The
family are fairly positive people," she said.
The
blast blew out the front and rear sections of the building and caused a big
section of wall to collapse.
It
also showered debris across the street and damaged a second building.
The
explosion appeared to have been sparked in the basement of the building which
housed a retail wine outlet, a cafe and a sports store on the first floor.
There
has been some speculation gas may have triggered the explosion.
Supt
Schramm said the situation could have been much worse had the blast happened
later in the day in the usually busy retail and business section of the city.
"If
it had happened other than in the early hours of this morning, clearly there
would have been significant injuries," he said.
Supt
Schramm said the front facade of
121
Pirie Street
was
extremely dangerous and would likely have to be brought down later today.
An
area around the building has been declared a danger zone, limiting public
access.
____________________________
2.
Heavy damage in building blast
- From:
AAP
May
02, 2006
A
HUGE blast that ripped through an
Adelaide
city
building early today, showering debris across a main street, could have been
much worse, police said.
One
person connected to a business in the CBD building remains unaccounted for, but
as yet there have been no reports of injuries.
The
explosion and fire severely damaged the building in
Pirie
Street
about
3am
(CST)
with authorities calling in engineers to determine its safety.
Superintendent
Paul Schramm said the situation could have been much worse had the blast
happened later in the day in the usually busy retail and business section of the
city.
"If
it had happened other than in the early hours of this morning, clearly there
would have been significant injuries," he said.
The
blast appeared to have been centred in the basement of the building which housed
a retail wine outlet, a cafe and a sports store on the first floor.
It
blew out the front and rear sections of the building with the force of the
explosion also causing a big section of wall to collapse.
So
severe was the blast that a building across the street also was damaged.
Sports
store owner Tom Warhurst, a former Adelaide Crows AFL player, said he expected
the building which housed his business to be demolished.
Police
said sections of
Pirie
Street
were
likely to remain closed today causing disruptions for office staff, businesses
and retail outlets in the area as well as traffic disruptions.
Supt
Schramm also declared an area around the damaged building a dangerous zone, with
public access limited.
________________________
1.
Blast and fire damages building
- From:
AAP
May
02, 2006
AN
explosion and fire has severely damaged a building in the centre of
Adelaide
.
The
Pirie
Street
blaze
is thought to have been sparked in the basement of the building at about
3am
(CST).
No
one was injured, but engineers have been called in to determine the safety of
the structure.
The
blast completely gutted the basement and ground floor sections of the building
which houses a retail wine outlet and a sports store on the first floor.
The
area would remain closed off to traffic today, disrupting nearby shops and other
businesses, a police spokeswoman said.
Investigations
into the cause of the blast were continuing.
__________________________
______________
Interesting read Andrew
MacGregor on Mossad
