NSW Police arrest man over 1998 Denise Govendir murder

The elderly husband of a woman found dead in her Dover Heights home more than 25 years ago has been charged with her murder.

In the early hours of Tuesday, March 10, 1998, police were called to the home on Dover Road after reports of a home invasion. They found the body of 53-year-old Denise Govendir.

Then 55-year-old Aaron Govendir, the woman’s husband, told police an unknown assailant had broken into their home claiming to be a police officer, struck him unconscious, and bound him with cable ties.

He also told police the attacker fled the scene in the couple’s white 1997 Ford Laser sedan.

A coronial inquest in 2008 found Govendir was the lead person of interest in the unsolved homicide. The Coroner found there was not enough evidence to identify the man responsible beyond reasonable doubt, and police subsequently did not pursue charges.

In November 2023 police announced a $1 million reward for information leading to a successful prosecution in the case.

At the time, Govendir’s son Phillip said his mother has set standards “of love and hope” for the family, Nine News reported.

“I tried to live up to the standards she set for us,” he said.