Friday 31 January 1997

Fires probe centres on four vehicles

BYLINE:By JASON KOUTSOUKIS,
crime reporter

This motorcyclist, captured on television film speeding around a bend in the Dandenongs on Tuesday last week, is wanted for questioning over the deadly fires.

Police asked yesterday that the picture be widely distributed in the hope that the motorcyclist would come forward, or that someone might recognise him and go to the police.

The motorcyclist was filmed in One Tree Hill Road, Tremont - close to Alpine Road - about 12.30pm. Alpine Road was hit hard by the fire, losing four homes.

Alpine Road also intersects with Seabreeze Avenue, where a young married couple, Graham and Jennifer Lindroth, and their neighbor, Genevieve Erin, lost their lives.

Detective Sergeant Colin Brockwell said yesterday: ``He was filmed by a cameraman at Channel 10 ... the bike has come very quickly around the bend near Alpine Road and, looking at him, he was certainly in a hurry, and that was about 12.30pm.''

Police said the motorcyclist was riding a green trail bike, possibly a Kawasaki KX125, sporting an oval racing number plate above its front mudguard bearing the numbers 191. No standard registration plate was visible.

Detective Sergeant Brockwell said the rider had been identified at two, and perhaps three different places. He said it was important that police clarify just what the motorcyclist was doing in the area.

He said the trail bike was one of two seen near the fires.

The second one was a yellow 125cc model, with a black canvas bag tied to the rear. It was seen about 11am on the Mountain Highway, between Tobruk and Claremont avenues. Its rider and pillion passenger have not been identified.

Police have also issued descriptions of two cars spotted close to the fires. They are seeking the drivers of:

A dark burgundy, late 1970s stationwagon with a cream roof. It was seen near the Mount Dandenong Tourist Road, Kalorama, about 10.30am.

A white Japanese utility seen in Tobruk Avenue, The Basin, about 12.20pm.

Investigators believe the fires in the Dandenongs - five in all - were lit by arsonists between 11am and noon on Tuesday last week.

``We've had numerous calls with similar descriptions on these vehicles, and have been able to identify them as being important to our investigation,'' Detective Sergeant Brockwell said.

``The main thing is with these vehicles ... they come up on multiple informations calls. Someone will ring up and say `Look, this may seem minor but I saw this car here'. Why is it that it keeps coming to different people's minds that it just doesn't seem right?''

Arson squad investigators have examined hours of television footage of the fires, as well as audiotape recordings.

``We have a number of avenues of inquiries that we're following, and at this early stage we are quite positive of a result,'' Detective Sergeant Brockwell said.

A police caravan has been set up outside the CFA station in Forest Road, The Basin. It will be open between 10am and 6pm today, tomorrow and Sunday.