Stephen Bailey, sad news, especially for Norwood & West people & his family

FORMER Norwood and West Adelaide midfielder Stephen Bailey – charged by Victoria Police with the murder of his mother in Melbourne – was a quiet, polite person while in Adelaide, SANFL sources said.

Bailey, 34, played 94 SANFL senior games collectively with the Redlegs and West between 2004 and 2011 after being recruited from VFL club Box Hill Hawks, where he played 21 games.

The grandson of Carlton great of the 1950s, Laurie Kerr, Bailey played 54 games for Norwood (2004-07) and a further 40 games for West Adelaide (2008-11), under Hawthorn triple premiership defender Andy Collins.

The quietly-spoken Bailey, who ran his own business as a personal trainer in Adelaide, returned to Melbourne after six reserves games with West Adelaide in 2011.

Police arrested Bailey on Wednesday and he is under police guard in hospital, where psychiatric staff “have concerns about his conditions’’, lawyers for Bailey told Melbourne Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

Former Norwood coach Trevor Hill (2005-07) remembered Bailey as a popular professional who worked hard at his craft.

“He was quite a driven professional footballer who worked hard on his fitness,’’ Mr Hill said. “He was very quiet and unassuming (and) popular.’’

Homicide detectives charged Bailey on Friday with the murder of his mother, Penny Bailey

— daughter of Laurie Kerr — after a body was found on Thursday night following an extensive search.

The family released a statement saying Ms Bailey would be remembered for her “caring nature and warm heart.’’

“The Kerr family would like to publicly express its gratitude for the outpouring of support it has received since Penny’s disappearance,’’ the statement said. “Penny was a beautiful woman and mother of three children. She will be remembered for her caring nature, warm heart and love of family.’’

Detectives located a body, partially covered with bushes, in bushland near Mullum Mullum Creek in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Donvale.

“The body has not been formally identified but is believed to be that of missing woman Penny Bailey,” Acting Sergeant Julie-Anne Newman said.

Ms Bailey was one of nine children born to Kerr, a renowned footballer and PR guru, and his wife Vivienne.
Laurie Kerr played for Carlton in the 1950s and was named as an emergency in Carlton’s Team of the Century.

Earlier, homicide detectives held Bailey over the suspicious disappearance of his mother.

Ms Bailey was last seen at the Mont Albert home she shared with her son on Sunday, at about 9pm.

Detectives loaded a black four wheel drive Volkswagen Tiguan onto a flat bed trailer on Wednesday and took it away for forensic examination.

Police launched an investigation after Ms Bailey was reported missing by family on Tuesday night amid a disturbance at her house.

Stephen Bailey was seen leaving the townhouse on a bicycle about 11.45am on Tuesday. He then was seen in Melbourne’s CBD.

Det Insp Mick Hughes said the alarm was raised after a disturbance had been discovered at the Strabane Ave home.

“There is concern from what we witnessed at that scene,” he said.

A crime scene was established at the house.

Police also seized two wheelie bins from the nature strip, while a mobile phone was taken into evidence.

Detectives inspected clothing and gloves from inside the bin.

Earlier, Ms Bailey’s siblings and children forced entry into the townhouse after unsuccessful attempts were made to contact her.

Neighbours woke to find their street filled with police.

They said they hadn’t heard any disturbance from the townhouse over the weekend.

After his football career ended, Laurie Kerr pursued a career in journalism and built the public relations empire IPR.

Kerr studied at St Kevin’s College in Toorak, where four generations of his family would later go on to study.

Kerr died on December 28, 2001. He was 72.

Originally published as Former SANFL player charged with mother’s murder

Not sure what's happened here and regardless of how it works out, Steve was always a nice bloke.

Yes, ditto.