The Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services has approved a reward of
$250,000 be offered for information which leads to the apprehension and
conviction of the person or persons responsible for the murder of Novy
Aristananda Chardon at Upper Coomera on the 6th February 2013.
INDEMNITY FROM PROSECUTION:
In addition, an appropriate indemnity from prosecution will be recommended for
any accomplice, not being the person who actually committed the crime, who first
gives such information. The allocation of the $250,000 reward will be at the
sole discretion of the Commissioner of the Police Service.
CIRCUMSTANCES:
At 11pm Wednesday, 6 February 2013, Novy Aristananda CHARDON arrived home to 93
Bridie Drive, Upper Coomera. She was noticed missing at about 6am the next day.
Police believe the circumstances of her disappearance are suspicious. Her
vehicle, a 2009 Dark Blue XC90 Volvo (860LTZ) was located in Bowden Street,
Nerang at 5.25pm on Monday 11 February 2013. .
Any member of the public with information which could assist Police is asked to
contact:
• the Coomera Criminal Investigation Branch, Phone (07) 55147755;
• the Homicide Investigation Group, Brisbane, Phone (07) 3364 4150;
• any Police Station; or
• Crime Stoppers, Phone 1800 333 000.
Office of the Commissioner of the Police Service,
I STEWART BRISBANE.
COMMISSIONER
Coomera woman Novy Chardon's husband remains
overseas as police step up the search for clues into her disappearance
THE husband of missing Gold Coast woman Novy Chardon says he is
"extremely worried and concerned" but will not say when he will return
from a business trip to Indonesia.
John Chardon, 65, had told media outlets his wife was "crazy" and should
"get her stupid bloody arse" home after she disappeared from their Upper
Coomera home last Wednesday night.
The Loganholme lubricant company boss flew to Indonesia last Friday,
taking their children, 7 and 9, with him.
Speaking by phone from Jakarta, Mr Chardon told The Courier-Mail on
Tuesday afternoon he knew "nothing" about his wife's disappearance.
"I don't know anything (about what happened to Mrs Chardon). I'm still
extremely worried and concerned and all the media ringing is just more
stress for me and the kids."
Police would not say if they had asked Mr Chardon to return to Australia
but remain in contact with him.
"We haven't spoken to him personally today but we have access to him and
he is available to speak to us whenever we wish," regional crime
co-ordinator Superintendent David Hutchinson said.
"I think it's fair to say that the longer this lasts, the more concerned
we become," Superintendent Hutchinson told media outside Coomera police
station.
"It won't be very long now that it'll be a full week (since she went
missing) and she hasn't made contact with family or friends. Obviously we're
very concerned for her welfare."
Indonesian-born Mrs Chardon, 34, has not been seen or heard from since
leaving her Upper Coomera home last Wednesday night.
Supt Hutchinson said police remain in contact with Mrs Chardon's husband
John, 65, who took their two young children on a pre-planned business trip
to Indonesia last Friday two days after his wife disappeared.
But Supt Hutchinson would not say when Mr Chardon was expected to return
to Australia, or whether police had asked him to cut short his trip.
He also revealed Mrs Chardon's car may have been left abandoned near the
Nerang railway station since she went missing last Wednesday night.
The 2009 Volvo wagon was found on Monday night and police are conducting
forensics tests which they say is happening "slowly and methodically".
They also expect crime scene investigators to continue to comb the
Chardon's Bridie Drive home "for a number of days".
Supt Hutchinson said police were keen to speak to anyone who may have
seen Mrs Bowden's car before, during or after it was left outside a unit
block in Bowden Court, Nerang.
Call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Earlier today, police abruptly cancelled a media
conference they had called to give an update on the disappearance of the
missing Gold Coast woman.
They had called the media conference for 1pm at Coomera police station
but now say it has been cancelled due to 'operational reasons'.
Police say they hope to provide an update later in the day.
Earlier today, it was learned that reported sightings of
missing Gold Coast mum Novy Chardon, including one of her hitch-hiking on
the M1, are keeping police busy as they step up their investigation into her
disappearance.
Members of the public have contacted police saying they saw a woman
matching Mrs Chardon's description on the M1 at Mudgeeraba and also at Days
Rd, Coomera.
Police were dispatched to both locations but Mrs Chardon remains missing.
"It's good that people are keeping an eye out," one officer said.
"We need all the eyes and ears out there we can get."
Mrs Chardon's late model Volvo SUV, in which she left her Upper Coomera
home last Wednesday night, was found on Monday night parked in a street near
the Nerang railway station.
Her husband John flew to Indonesia on a pre-planned business trip last
Friday, taking their children, aged 7 and 9, with him.
Police have spoken to him by phone but are anxious for him to return so
they can question him in person.
The Chardons' Bridie Dr home remains a crime scene and detectives from
the Homicide and Major and Organised Crime squads are involved in the
investigation.
Police will hold a media conference at 1pm to provide an update.
Overnight, it was reported that the car belong to
missing Gold Coast woman, Novy Chardon, had been found as police continue
their hunt for the mother-of-two.
Police confirmed they found a dark-coloured Volvo 4WD with number plates
matching those belonging to missing Gold Coast woman Novy Chardon.
The car was found near the railway station at Bowden Court, Nerang about
6pm last night.
Ms Chardon was last seen driving the car last Wednesday, February 6 but
has not been heard from since.
Meanwhile, her husband John, who is overseas, has urged her to "get her
a--- home".
Mr Chardon, 65, took their son, 7, and daughter, 9, to Indonesia on
Friday, two days after his wife, 34, disappeared from the couple's Upper
Coomera home.
Police say Mr Chardon, who owns a Loganholme lubricant products company,
left on a pre-booked business trip to Jakarta on Friday night but had not
planned to take the children with him.
They will not confirm if he is a suspect in his Indonesian-born wife's
disappearance but officers say they are keeping all options open.
Speaking from Indonesia last night, Mr Chardon said he was in a meeting
and "too upset" to talk.
He earlier told Channel 10 that his wife should "get her stupid bloody
a--- home" and revealed they were going through a divorce.
"She's done this sort of thing (disappeared) before, just not for such a
long time," he said.
Regional crime co-ordinator Superintendent David Hutchinson said
detectives had spoken to Mr Chardon in Jakarta by phone and were expecting
him to return to Australia "hopefully soon" to answer questions.
"He hasn't been able to tell us where she is at the moment," Supt
Hutchinson said.
"At this point in time, we believe he was the last one to see her on the
Wednesday night. There was no plan initially for him to take the children,
but he has since taken the children."
Supt Hutchinson said Mrs Chardon had previously gone away by herself "for
a day or so" and her husband was not concerned at first.
"He obviously has more concern now that she hasn't turned up," he said.
Mrs Chardon, who runs a beauty business from her home, left the Bridie
Drive residence in her late model Volvo 4WD on Wednesday night and has not
been seen or heard of since.
She was reported missing by a concerned friend and police established a
major crime scene at the family's home.
"The truth of the matter is we don't know where she is and we don't know
why she hasn't come home," Supt Hutchinson said.
"The overall circumstances are concerning for us. She hasn't spoken with
family or friends since last Wednesday night (and) that in itself is out of
character. We are concerned for her welfare."
Supt Hutchinson appealed for Mrs Chardon, or anyone with information
about her disappearance, to contact them. He said police were keen to locate
her dark blue Volvo, registration number 860 LTZ.
Mrs Chardon's friend Maria Phillips said: "I hope she is somewhere safe."
Concerned husband of missing mum Novy Chardon
says he won't return early from business trip
A MAN who earlier described his missing wife as "crazy" and told
her to get her "a---" home yesterday said he was "extremely worried and
concerned" about her.
John Chardon,
whose wife Novy Chardon is missing from their Gold Coast home, said
however that he had no immediate plans to return from a business trip to
Indonesia. The 65-year-old took their two children to Jakarta last Friday on
a pre-booked business trip two days after his 34-year-old wife went missing.
His comments follow reports that a witness said he saw clothes strewn
around Mrs Chardon's car, which was found abandoned in Nerang on Monday, and
a group of people acting suspiciously.
"I don't know when I'm coming back," Mr Chardon told The Courier-Mail
by phone from the Indonesian capital. "The police have said they don't need
to talk to me at the moment - I'm not the suspect they thought I might have
been.
"I don't know anything (about what happened to Mrs Chardon). I'm still
extremely worried and concerned and all the media ringing is just more
stress for me and the kids."
On Monday, Mr Chardon said his wife had left home before and would be
back. Police said they were having discussions with Mr Chardon but would not
say if they had asked him to cut short his business trip and come home.
"I think it's fair to say that the longer this lasts, the more concerned
we become," Supt Hutchinson said.
Meanwhile, witness Karl Kristiansen said he saw a group of people acting
suspiciously and clothes strewn around Mrs Chardon's late model Volvo wagon,
which was found abandoned in Bowden Court, near Nerang railway station.
"It was about 10am on Sunday morning - there was a bit of activity going
on," Mr Kristiansen said. "A balding, stocky bloke and a young woman were
trying to jump-start a little white Corolla with a Falcon. They were looking
across the road (at Mrs Chardon's car) and there was another older lady
standing there, looking anxious.
"It looked suspicious, especially with all the clothes around the car. I
just kept my eye on them."
Mr Kristiansen said police had knocked on his door on Sunday night and
took his statement.
Police are conducting forensic tests on the Volvo, with crime scene
investigators expected to comb the Chardons' Bridie Drive home for several
days.
There were unconfirmed sightings of Mrs Chardon yesterday, including one
of a woman matching her description hitchhiking on the M1.
Supt Hutchinson said police welcomed any information and were especially
keen to hear from anyone who saw her vehicle.
Detectives from the Homicide and Major and Organised Crime squads are
involved in the investigation.
Call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
SES to search Gold Coast bushland for missing
mother Novy Chardon
SES volunteers will today search bushland behind missing Gold
Coast mother Novy Chardon's home, as police step up their investigation
into her disappearance.
The development came as desperate friends of Mrs Chardon took to
her Facebook page,
pleading for her to return home if she was still alive.
Her Facebook page
remains open and friends have posted heartfelt messages on her wall.
"Novy darling . . . where are you?????? . . . please safe return home . .
. we all miss (you)," friend Paul Macdowell wrote.
Another friend, Karen Ribbon, posted: "Novy i hope u are safe and came bk
real soon. will be praying for you." A friend, who did not want to be named,
told The Courier-Mail: "We're all just waiting for news and hoping
she will be safe."
As crime scene investigators continued to comb Mrs Chardon's Upper
Coomera home, detectives said there had been no significant breakthrough
since her car was found near Nerang railway station on Monday night.
But regional crime co-ordinator Superintendent David Hutchinson said
information was flooding in from the public and a large team of detectives
was sifting through it.
"We are running out every bit of information coming in, and that takes
time," he said.
Supt Hutchinson said the SES search of bushland behind Mrs Chardon's home
was routine and not sparked by a lead.
Mrs Chardon's husband John remains in Indonesia, where he flew on a
business trip with their children last Friday, two days after she went
missing. Police have said that while the trip was pre-booked, he had not
planned to take the children, aged 7 and 9.
Mr Chardon told The Courier-Mail on Tuesday police did not
consider him a suspect and he had no immediate plans to return from
Indonesia.
Police said they were in contact with Mr Chardon and he was available to
speak to them "whenever we wish".
Supt Hutchinson said police were especially keen to hear from anyone who
may have seen Mrs Chardon's dark blue late-model Volvo wagon, registration
number 860 LTZ, before or after it was abandoned in Bowden Court, Nerang.
Information to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000
Gold Coast mother Novy Chardon missing for more
than two months
GOLD Coast mum Novy Chardon would have turned 35 last Monday.
But instead of celebrating with her, sad friends turned to her Facebook
page to post heartfelt birthday messages to a woman they know in their
hearts is almost certainly dead.
"Happy Birthday Novy, wishing you well wherever you are xox," one friend
wrote.
Another posted: "to dear . . . friend Novy . . . wishing you a happy
birthday my friend! hope your are safe and please come home your kids need
you and we all miss you my beautiful friend."
Ironically, one of her favourite TV shows according to her Facebook
profile, is Cold Case.
But police say that while leads have dried up, the investigation remains
very active.
"This doesn't go anywhere near a cold case," police acting regional crime
co-ordinator Brian Swan said. "We still have a team of detectives from the
Coomera CIB and Homicide and Major and Organised Crime squads working
diligently on the investigation."
But Mr Chardon, 65, has publicly denied any involvement in the
disappearance of his younger Indonesian-born wife.
Contacted last week by The Sunday Mail, Mr Chardon said: "I don't
talk to the media. I don't even read newspapers."
Mrs Chardon's late model Volvo SUV was found abandoned near Nerang
railway station soon after she disappeared. Police say her belongings,
including two suitcases, remain missing.
Speaking from her home in Indonesia last month, Mrs Chardon's mother told
The Courier-Mail her daughter loved her children too much to just
leave them.
Call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000
Novy Chardon: Search for Gold Coast woman 'not over'
two years after disappearance
Just two days after Ms Chardon disappeared, her husband travelled to
Indonesia on business with their two children.
The couple was on the brink of divorce after an 11-year marriage, Mr
Chardon was 31 years her senior and had made his money on industrial lubricants.
Police said he was still one of many suspects, despite Mr Chardon denying
any involvement in her death.
Detective Superintendent David Hutchinson said her killers were still at
large.
A $250,000 reward is on offer and anyone who knew how she was killed but
was not directly involved would be offered indemnity if they came forward.
"We are convinced that there are people out there in the public who know
more information and haven't come forward," Det Supt Hutchinson.
"We have progressed quite significantly over the last two years and we
still have a number of avenues to follow.
"The efforts we've put in so far would show the commitment that the
detectives have. It's not over yet, we still have inquires to go."
There have been a number of breakthroughs in the case, but they are yet to
lead to any real evidence that would result in a conviction.
Last year, police dug up a yard at Mount Nathan in the Gold Coast
hinterland after a tip-off; where they found parts of a ute which they believe
was in the area the night Ms Chardon disappeared.
Police have also made inquiries in Ms Chardon's home country of Indonesia,
where she met her husband and where her family lives.
John Chardon: Accused killer 'propositioned friend' after wife Novy
vanished
Sonia Kohlbacher
A Gold Coast man accused of murdering his wife allegedly cleaned her
bedroom carpet and propositioned one of her friends in the hours after
her last known contact with anyone.
Mother-of-two Novy Chardon last spoke to some of her friends on the
night of February 6, 2013.
She and her husband were in the middle of a divorce and she'd instructed
her lawyer to send him a letter that afternoon relating to their split.
Two days after she was last seen, John William Chardon allegedly told
one of Novy's friends she had packed up and left, wanted 50 per cent of
everything and had lied to her lawyer about what she was entitled to.
The woman reported Mrs Chardon missing the next day.
Her body has never been found.
On Thursday in the Queensland Supreme Court, Chardon pleaded not guilty
to his wife's murder.
'Arrogant and obnoxious'
His barrister, Tony Kimmins, labelled him a philanderer, arrogant,
obnoxious, stubborn and someone who was vulgar, uncouth and rude.
"But that doesn't prove a person is a murderer," Kimmins said.
Trial prosecutor Mark Green told the jury friends had tried to contact
Mrs Chardon on February 7 but didn't get a response.
One of them, Frederika Wong, went to the Chardon family home in Upper
Coomera when Mrs Chardon didn't answer her calls.
She noticed the carpet in her bedroom was wet underfoot and that a
runner was missing.
Chardon told her he had cleaned it that morning with a hired machine, Mr
Green said.
He then propositioned Ms Wong.
Mrs Chardon was raised in the port city of Surabaya on the Indonesian
island of Java.
She met Chardon around the year 2000.
She would often return to her family's home and kept in close contact
with her mother.
Her marriage began to break down and Mrs Chardon told friends in 2009
the couple were having problems.
They separated in 2012 but stayed under the same roof with their two
young children while having affairs.
'Gun found'
In the months before Mrs Chardon was last seen, a man employed by
Chardon at his Loganholme business came across a box with his name
handwritten on it.
He recognised his boss' writing and found a gun and loose ammunition
inside.
On the night Mrs Chardon returned home from a dinner with Ms Wong,
Chardon drove to his Loganholme factory where he spent 80 seconds inside
before leaving again.
The daughter of a Gold Coast businessman accused of murdering his estranged
wife put on rubber gloves to move a mysterious box she was holding for her
dad after police began to investigate.
Novy Chardon, 34, went missing on February 6, 2013, and her body has never
been found.
The same day her husband, John William Chardon, now 72, received a letter
from divorce lawyers saying she wanted half of all his assets and custody of
their two children.
More than six years after his wife disappeared, Chardon is fighting a murder
charge in the Supreme Court in Brisbane.
On Tuesday, prosecutor Mark Green pressed Chardon's eldest daughter, Candice
Chardon, 34, about her movements in the days after Novy Chardon went
missing.
Candice Chardon agreed she had put on gloves to remove a box she had stowed
for her dad after police started investigating her stepmother's
disappearance.
Candice Chardon said she thought the box might have had gun parts and
handcuffs in it and confirmed she had a friend store it before it was
disposed of by her sister Angela.
"I didn't really want it in my house, whatever it was," she said.
"(Dad) told me not to open and that's what I did."
She denied her father gave her the box the day after Novy Chardon
disappeared.
The jury heard that the day after Novy Chardon disappeared, both Chardon's
adult daughters went to the Chardons' Upper Coomera home.
They were there when a friend of Novy Chardon, Frederika Wong, came looking
for her missing friend.
Ms Wong noticed the carpet in Novy Chardon's bedroom was wet underfoot and a
runner was missing.
Chardon told her he had cleaned it that morning with a hired machine.
Crown prosecutor Mark Green put it to Chardon he had made Novy Chardon so
scared she had "wet herself" and "then made an immediate effort to clean it
up".
He denied it.
Chardon told police that when he woke up on February 7, his wife was gone.
He suggested she might have sold $70,000 worth of jewellery to fund her
departure.
Mr Green has accused Chardon of fabricating that account of his wife's
disappearance.
"That's rubbish ... I didn't kill Novy, period," Chardon said.
"I had no one kill her, I didn't kill her. As far as I know, she's out
running around the world somewhere."
Chardon also denied he'd been "furious" over the divorce letter that said
she wanted 50 per cent of all his assets, including two factories, a mining
investment and half the company Chardon started in 1986 with his first wife,
Maureen.
The jury has heard Chardon thought the couple had agreed on joint custody of
their children and had offered his wife a $3.5 million divorce settlement.
Gold Coast millionaire businessman John Chardon has been found not guilty of the
murder of his estranged wife, but guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Mother-of-two Novy Chardon was 34 when she went missing from the couple's home
in Upper Coomera in February 2013 — hours after Chardon received a letter from
his wife's divorce lawyer.
The 72-year-old businessman had pleaded not guilty in the Supreme Court in
Brisbane to murdering his fifth wife Novy and spent three days in the witness
box protesting his innocence, claiming she had simply packed her bags and left.
A jury deliberated for more than nine hours before acquitting him of the charge
of murder and instead finding him guilty of manslaughter.
There were gasps in the courtroom when the verdict was read out.
Chardon showed no emotion from the dock upon hearing the jury's decision.
He will be sentenced at a later date.
Over the course of three weeks, the trial heard from more than 70 witnesses,
with details of the couple's unravelling marriage — and Ms Chardon's fear of her
husband — laid bare in court.
The alleged confession was never revealed to the jury after Mr Foster's evidence
was excluded before the trial got underway on the basis a court could not be
satisfied that it occurred.
Chardon called himself a 'philanthropist'
Chardon's Filipino associate Marshall Aguilor — they met through a dating
website — testified that Chardon had asked him to find a hit man to get rid of
Ms Chardon while she was overseas that same year.
Mr Aguilor told the court Chardon sent him money to buy a gun, but that he never
carried out the purchase.
When Chardon took the stand, he denied ever broaching the topic with Mr Aguilor.
In his closing address, prosecutor Mark Green said Ms Chardon had been upset
with the situation and was ready to move on from "the dark shadow cast by John
Chardon".
"She was looking forward to ending the worst part of her life ... and was taking
the final steps ... to put him behind her," Mr Green told jurors.
'Furious' over pending divorce
On February 6, 2013 — the same day Ms Chardon's divorce lawyer sent Chardon a
letter stating she wanted 50 per cent of his assets — she disappeared.
Mr Green suggested Chardon was "furious" because he believed his wife was trying
to control access to their children — a claim Chardon rejected.
The court heard the night he is thought to have killed her, Chardon drove to his
Loganholme factory and spent 80 seconds inside.
The trial also heard Chardon asked his adult daughters to hold, and then get rid
of, a box thought to contain handcuffs and gun parts.
Mr Green told jurors it was not known how Chardon killed his wife, or where, but
said urine on the carpet suggested he had done something to frighten her.
"It may be less likely he would have taken the risk [of] killing her in the
bedroom, but maybe he did, and if he did he killed her in such a way that he
didn't leave blood all over the floor," he said.
The court heard the businessman hired a carpet-cleaning machine the following
morning, and propositioned a his wife's friend when she visited the house to
check on Ms Chardon when she failed to appear for a coffee date.
Chardon's defence team contended Ms Chardon was either still alive, or
voluntarily left the house that night and died from a cause unrelated to
Chardon.
He was arrested and charged with Ms Chardon's murder in 2016.
Despite a highly publicised police investigation and multiple searches, her body
has never been found.
John Chardon jailed for 15 years for wife Novy's manslaughter
Gold Coast millionaire businessman John Chardon, who killed his estranged wife
Novy, discarded her body, and then wove a "calculated web of lies", has been
sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The 34-year-old mother of two vanished from the couple's Upper Coomera home on
the northern Gold Coast in February 2013, and despite extensive searches her
body has never been found.
Throughout the trial Chardon denied any involvement in her disappearance and
maintained that she told him she was leaving — a story condemned by the judge as
"a fanciful story".
In sentencing him, Justice Ann Lyons said a "defenceless" Novy would have died
"violently" yet "silently", before Chardon disposed of all evidence and then
"calmly" went about his life.
"You killed her just as she had taken the first steps [towards] finalising
proceedings for divorce.
"Novy was entitled to … plan a life without you."
Justice Lyons also noted Chardon must have received "some assistance" in moving
Novy's body, her possessions, and her car that night.
She also said the fact he then propositioned his wife's best friend the next day
revealed "so much" about his character.
'You've never confessed'
Branding Chardon a practiced liar, Justice Lyons also condemned the industrial
lubricant manufacturer for leading their two children to believe Novy did not
love them and had abandoned them.
"They were lies," she said.
"The record must be corrected … [and] at some time in the future, I hope Novy's
children will read these sentencing remarks and know that she did not abandon
them —she loved them fiercely.
"She was a devoted mother and a dear friend to many people."
The court heard Novy's friends testified the beautician had been "fearful" of
Chardon in the lead-up to the death, and had taken clear steps to move on with
her life when it was cut short.
"She had set up her business, she finally had her ABN, and she was trying to
establish her independence," Justice Lyons said.
Justice Lyons told Chardon only he knew what transpired that night.
"We will never know what happened [to her]. You do. You've never confessed," she
told him.
She said it was clear from the verdict that while jurors found Chardon killed
his wife, they were not satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that he intended to
cause her death or cause grievous bodily harm.
'One selfish and sickening act'
In the sentencing hearing on Wednesday, one of Novy's friends read aloud an
emotional victim impact statement to the court, saying Novy would never be able
to witness her children's milestones because of "one selfish and sickening act".
"You [John Chardon] took away a daughter, a mother, a sister and a best friend,"
she told the court.
The court also heard a statement penned by Novy's mother, who lives in
Indonesia, detailing her grief.
"Novy appears in my dreams — even as the years pass, I am in deep sorrow," she
wrote.