A NORFOLK Island man who had paint fragments in his car which matched those found on the body of Janelle Patton also joked about killing her.
Raymond "Tugger" Yager, whose advances were rejected by Ms Patton, cleaned his ute for hours on the day of the killing and flew out of Norfolk Island three days after the murder.
In evidence given yesterday at the inquest into the stabbing murder, Detective Sergeant Bob Peters said Mr Yager joked with a travel agent while booking his flight in Norfolk Island dialect.
On April 2, two days after the murder, travel agent Angela Judd asked Mr Yager: "You nowa killar gal did you? [You never killed that girl did you?]".
Mr Yager allegedly replied: "Yeh, whatsar word? Premeditated". Ms Judd told police it was said in a "jocular fashion" and she did not observe any apparent injuries, like scratchmarks, on Mr Yager's body, arms or face.
Sgt Peters told the inquest, being held in historic military barracks near Slaughter Bay, that Mr Yager spent one night with an intoxicated Ms Patton but the pair did not have sex.
A smitten Mr Yager went to Ms Patton's apartment another night but she yelled at him to "go away".
Ms Patton, 29, was stabbed multiple times and her body dumped, wrapped in plastic in an exposed area at Cockpit Waterfall Reserve on March 31, 2002. On that day, Mr Yager spent more than three hours steam cleaning and water blasting his car.
When police did forensic tests on his ute, they found green paint identical to that found on Janelle's body. Mr Yager, who now lives in Cambodia, told them he had no idea where it came from.
He said he flew out of the island because he was going to visit his four-year-old son in Western Australia.
Another person of interest named at the inquest was Terence Jope, the island's "consumate womaniser" who had access to a black plastic sheet like the one used to wrap Janelle's body.
The inquest heard that the palm prints of another local man, Steve Cochrane, were found on the black plastic, but he told police he did not know Ms Patton.
Also on the list of 16 persons of interest are Ms Patton's ex boyfriend, Paul "Jap" Menghetti and island administrator, Robyn Murdoch, who began seeing each other after Mr Menghetti broke up with Janelle.
Mr Menghetti's daughter, Dana Menghetti, was also of interest because she hated Janelle for making disparaging remarks about her late mother.
Andrew Ian "Buzzard" Rowe, was also of interest because he owned a Black Honda Civic seen on the road in the area where Janelle disappeared on the day of the murder.
Another man, Rodney "Moose" Menzies once approached her sunbaking on the beach and followed her home.
The pair had argued soon before her death because he tried to put his hand on her leg.
