Accused murderer and former detective Glen McNamara has lost his bid for bail in the Supreme Court with a judge finding he is an unacceptable risk of fleeing if released.
Mr McNamara, 55, and his former colleague Roger Rogerson, 73, are charged with murdering student Jamie Gao, 20, in a storage unit in south-west Sydney in March, by firing two shots into his chest from close range.
Mr Gao's body was found floating in the ocean off Cronulla Beach three days later.
Mr McNamara is also being charged with possessing a commercial quantity of drugs after police found three kilograms of the drug called ice in his car.
Police allege the pair killed Mr Gao execution style to steal the drugs.
Having unsuccessfully applied for bail in the Local Court, Mr McNamara made a last-ditch bid to be home for Christmas in the Supreme Court.
But on Wednesday, Justice Ian Harrison rejected his application, finding that there was an "unacceptable risk that Mr McNamara will fail to appear" and that this "could not be mitigated" by the tough bail conditions to which he had promised to adhere.
In his decision, Justice Harrison was careful to distinguish the case from that of former bikie boss Mick Hawi, whom he released on bail earlier this year despite being accused of murder over the 2009 brawl at Sydney Airport.
He said that, while both cases raised issues about people who have yet to be convicted remaining in custody, "these concerns necessarily must yield to cases where a violent crime appears to have been committed and where evidence of who was involved is available and strong".
Dressed in prison greens, Mr McNamara appeared via audio visual link from Silverwater jail in Sydney's west.
He hung his head as the decision was handed down.
He is yet to enter a plea.
He is now likely to remain in custody until his trial, which may not take place until 2016.
He and his family had raised $740,000 in sureties to have him released on bail, in the form of cash and equity.
