2012-07-04

A man accused of beheading his neighbour won the role of a policeman in an Australian thriller but left town before filming his scenes as a nationwide manhunt was launched. Jonathon Stenberg, 46, was captured in the Australian outback last week after six days on the run from police, but not before he turned up at a casting call in the remote town of Winton, Queensland, where the film Mystery Road – ironically, the story of a murder hunt – was being filmed. Second assistant director Mark Ingram, whose movie stars Hugo Weaving, said Stenberg was the first person to audition, after apparently seeing an advert in a petrol station window. "He came across as a really nice guy, a really nice guy. He even went and got me a cup of coffee. We were going to use him," Ingram told AFP. "He came across as one of those kind of guys who you can trust. Ironically, we were going to cast him as a police officer." The image of Stenberg painted by the film-maker does not fit the one depicted by police who have been hunting him. The alleged killer reportedly left a hat in place of his victim's head before fleeing the scene of the crime. Ingram added: "I've held a number of casting auditions, but for a guy who is Australia's most wanted to come through your door is most unusual. He wasn't hiding (when he was in Winton). He gave me his name and number." Ingram said he tried to contact Stenberg after failing to hear from him for several days but was unable to get through on the his mobile. Nevertheless, Stenberg subsequently emailed him, apologising for not being in touch and writing: "It was nice to meet up but I've headed up to the Northern Territory because I've got a chance of a job." A few days later, the former army corporal, who usually worked as a builder and security guard, was captured in the territory's capital, Darwin, after his abandoned car was identified nearby. Stenberg is accused of murdering Edward "Ned" Kelly on or before 21 June in northern New South Wales and will be tried in Sydney later this year.