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Home / New Zealand

Kiwi's fatal plunge: Tostee denies link

APNZ
11 Aug, 2014 01:17 AM4 mins to read

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Gable Tostee, left, and Warriena Wright.

Gable Tostee, left, and Warriena Wright.

The last person to see Warriena Tagpuno Wright alive has reportedly denied causing her death.

Gable Tostee is said to have written a message on an online bodybuilding forum that he was "devastated" by Wright's 14-storey fall from the balcony of his apartment in Surfers Paradise on Friday.

A person posting under the initials GT wrote: "I've been advised not to go into details but all I will say is that I absolutely did NOT cause this girl to fall and that I am devastated about what happened to her."

Ms Wright, 26, had reportedly met Mr Tostee, 28, through the dating app Tinder.

Read more:
• Screams before fatal plunge

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He said his reputation had already been destroyed without him saying anything at all.

CCTV footage seized

Closed circuit television footage from the home of Gable Tostee's parents has reportedly been seized by police investigating the death of Lower Hutt woman Warriena Tagpuno Wright in Queensland.

Ms Wright, 26, fell from a balcony on the 14th floor of the Avalon apartments in Surfers Paradise on Friday.

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The last person to see her alive was Mr Tostee, 28, who she had apparently met earlier on the dating app Tinder.

Ms Wright's sister Reza Tagpuno said today the family would not be speaking about the incident and referred all comment to come from Queensland police.

Police arrived earlier at the gated community in Carrara where Gray and Helene Tostee live, and took footage from CCTV cameras at the main entrance to the complex, the Courier Mail reported.

It was understood the footage was being used to piece together where Mr Tostee was in the hours before and after Ms Wright died, the paper said.

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12 Aug 10:28 PM

Regional Crime Coordinator Detective Superintendent David Hutchinson of Gold Coast CIB said a press conference would be held later today about the incident.

He would not confirm where the CCTV footage had come from, but said police were canvassing many areas to identify any footage which could be of value in "determining the movement of various people".

A post-mortem examination was being carried out today, but it was too soon to know when Ms Wright's body would be released to her family.

"But we'll be able to facilitate that as soon as we can," he said.

Police were still receiving "positive information" from the public.

"We're going to put out more requests to reinforce that so the information keeps coming in."

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The Gold Coast Bulletin reported that Mr Tostee was known to police, masterminding a A$30,000 (NZ$32,881) Schoolies fake identification racket in 2004.

Mr Tostee and two friends produced at least 500 fake 18+ cards, which they sold for about A$60 each, before they were caught, the paper said.

They were placed on probation but a conviction was not recorded.

A friend of Ms Wright, who wished to remain nameless, described her as "amazing".

"She was really quiet, and she was always like that. It's almost like she never really got out of her shell but I think that was just her personality.

"She was great, she was really good value."

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The friend also spoke about Ms Wright's close relationship with her mother.

"Her mum is so distraught, as you can imagine.

"Her mum would do anything for her, she loved her so much."

On the evening of the fall, neighbours reported hearing several screams and what sounded like an argument, and a woman who saw her fall called police.

They have interviewed Mr Tostee, but he was released without charge and was now staying with family.

A resident told Channel 9 she had heard screaming several times before Ms Wright fell. "I heard her screaming once and then she stopped.

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"Then she screamed again and then she stopped again, and then she screamed a third time and after that I heard a bang."

When police arrived at the apartment, Mr Tostee was gone, but he later handed himself in.

Mr Hutchinson told Radio New Zealand said there was "no doubt" that police would speak to Mr Tostee again.

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