Manly West: 45-year-old charged with murder, attempted sexual assault after shopping centre car park stabbing

A man has been charged with murder and intent to commit rape after the body of a man was found near a shopping centre car park in Brisbane.

Police allege that around 1am on Sunday, a 45-year-old man stabbed another man near the shopping centre on Trevally Crescent in Manly West.

Queensland Police allege the suspect fled on foot after stabbing the 44-year-old victim.

As he left the car park, the man allegedly grabbed an 18-year-old woman who was not known to him, before attempting to sexually assault her on a nearby street.

A member of the public attempted to intervene and called police.

When emergency services arrived, a 45-year-old man with stab wounds was pronounced dead and an 18-year-old woman was taken to Redlands Hospital.

“A 45-year-old Wynnum man has been charged with one count each of murder, assault with intent to commit rape, indecent act in any place to which the public are permitted access and obstruct a police officer,” a Queensland Police spokesperson said.

He is due to appear in the Cleveland Magistrates Court on Monday.

Speaking to media on Sunday, Detective Inspector Wayne Francis described the attack as “brutal and violent”.

Police are still investigating whether the accused and the deceased were known to each other.

“It is an active line of investigation for us to compare that event, for which he was taken into custody for, as well as the [alleged] murder investigation,” he said.

Police have urged anyone who was in the area at the time, especially those with CCTV or dashcam footage, to contact them.

Detective Inspector Wayne Francis told reporters on Sunday police believed the man lived locally and was on foot when he suffered the “brutal and violent attack”.

Police could not identify the man on Sunday as detectives were still working to contact next of kin, he said.