Qld: No sign of break and enter at Panadol suspects house

AAP General News (Australia)
12-15-2000
Qld: No sign of break and enter at Panadol suspects house

By Janelle Miles and Barbara Adam

BRISBANE, Dec 15 AAP - The victims-turned-suspects in the painkiller poisoning investigation
believe the "real extortionist" planted evidence in their home even though there was no
sign of a break and enter.

A spokeswoman for their lawyers said today that the Fountain family, of Chapel Hill,
in Brisbane's west, alleged the extortionist knew where they lived and was trying to set
them up over the Herron and Panadol extortion attempts.

The spokeswoman for Brisbane solicitor Lindsay Lawrence, who has been acting for Dennis
and Jane Fountain, said the family found a mysterious puzzle book in their bookcase on
Tuesday evening and immediately notified police.

Extortion demands involved in the case are believed to have used cutout letters.

"All of a sudden somebody noticed this puzzle book sitting in their bookcase which
none of them had seen before," she said.

"All the other books were sitting spine out. This was sitting cover out.

"Because ... they didn't know who put it there, the police were called in."

The spokeswoman said the book - Merit Variety Puzzles and Games - was taken away by
police for investigation.

"As it wasn't touched, nobody knows what's inside," she said.

The Fountains were at a loss to explain how the book found its way into their home, she said.

There was no signs of a break and enter.

The Fountains both spent three days in intensive care in June this year after apparently
taking strychnine-laced Panadol when they were travelling in the Northern Territory.

A Brisbane doctor and his son also were treated for strychnine poisoning after taking
paracetamol products.

Police have linked the two incidents.

The Fountains were identified as suspects last week when police raided their home and
questioned them and Mrs Fountain's son, Murray Wayper.

Mrs Fountain and Mr Wayper have appeared before closed hearings at the Queensland Crime
Commission during the past couple of days.

The commission has powers to compel people to give evidence to further police investigations.

But testimony given under those circumstances cannot be used against them in court.

The closed hearings suggest the police investigation in the extortion case had stalled.

Under the Act which set up the law enforcement body, the police service can only ask
the commission to investigate if the police inquiry has been ineffective, is unlikely
to be fruitful in future and the matter is in the public interest.

But Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said today he believed the investigation
was "close to reaching a point of some determination".

"The investigation is ongoing ... it's gained momentum," he said.

Mr Atkinson said the investigation was one of the most complex ever undertaken by the
Queensland Police Service.

AAP jhm/bja/mjm/br

KEYWORD: PANADOL NIGHTLEAD

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