Tributes and flowers laid at scene in Melbourne of 22-year-old’s death covered in white paint and offensive graffiti

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A makeshift memorial of flowers and notes left in tribute to the Melbourne comedian Eurydice Dixon has been vandalised at the weekend with thick white paint.

Dixon was murdered on Wednesday in Princes Park, Carlton North, as she was walking home from a comedy show she had performed at in the city. People have been leaving tributes to the 22-year-old in the park since then, where thousands of people are preparing to attend a vigil on Monday night.

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A Victoria police spokesman said police had found the paint during routine patrols of the park about 3.50am on Monday morning. A number of items were seized from the scene and the police dog squad has been through the area. Fire crews had to use high-pressure hoses to remove offensive graffiti painted next to the tributes.



“Police will ensure the markings are removed as soon as possible and the investigation is ongoing,” the spokesman said.

‘Men need to change’: anger grows over police response to Eurydice Dixon's murder Read more

On Monday afternoon assistant police commissioner Stephen Leane told reporters police were throwing intensive resources towards finding the vandals, and that a number of items had been seized.

“It would be my joy to see these people charged and brought before the courts,” he said. “We will keep keep our cards close to our chest but we want to solve this.”



Vigils will be held on Monday night and throughout the week across the country in tribute to Dixon, including in Perth, Sydney, Adelaide, Hobart and Launceston.

Organisers of Melbourne’s Reclaim Princes Park event said all women should be able to walk home, “whenever we want, wherever we want, and assume we will make it home safe”.

“Our bodies are not there for taking,” organisers wrote on the Facebook page for the event. “It is not up to us to keep ourselves safe when we know it’s up to men to choose not to inflict violence upon us.”

People were angered by comments made by police after the discovery of Dixon’s body that women should have “situational awareness” and be “aware of your surroundings”.

Leane said police would attend the event to support the community but that he did not want police to be front and centre at the event and that he wanted it to be for the community and Dixon’s family.

Early on Monday morning the police commissioner, Graham Ashton, placed flowers at the makeshift memorial.

“I just wanted to personally pay my respects and I felt tonight is a time for the community to be there … [I] we didn’t want to gatecrash that,” he said.

On Sunday police issued a statement “to reassure the community that they can go about their usual business”.

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“People should be able to walk home at night without being in fear,” acting commander David Clayton said. “And offenders need to be held to account for their behaviour.”

Jaymes Todd, 19, handed himself into police on Wednesday night after a police and media campaign, and he was charged with Dixon’s rape and murder. He has been remanded in custody and will next appear in court in October.



The City of Melbourne, the state government and police met on Monday morning to discuss community safety.

Afterwards the lord mayor of Melbourne, Sally Capp, told reporters that the state government was investing in additional and upgraded CCTV cameras around the city. The premier, Daniel Andrews, had also asked that the Melbourne Town Hall building be lit in the colour orange between 5.30pm and 7.30pm, the same time as Monday night’s vigil, Capp said.

Orange is the colour used by the United Nations to symbolise a future free from violence against women and girls.