EXCLUSIVE
Authorities dropped a manslaughter charge against a bodyguard accused of providing drugs to a tradie whose body was found in the stairwell of his apartment without any explanation from authorities.
Police had alleged that construction manager Paul Browne died three years ago after taking heroin and methamphetamine supplied by sex worker Celia Bean and her friend Shayne Johnson.
The former reality TV contestant’s body was discovered at around 9pm on October 8, 2021 on a fire escape at Bean’s apartment block in Zetland, in Sydney’s inner south.
Police believed the 33-year-old man had driven to Rosebery from his nearby home in Zetland the previous night and could have been dead for up to 19 hours before he was found.
A month after Browne’s death, police released CCTV footage showing a mystery man dressed in a dark tracksuit, cap and white trainers leaving the scene.
“A big part of our investigation is how he got to that hallway and we believe the man pictured in this CCTV footage will be able to help with that,” Detective Inspector Phil Hallinan said at the time.
Strike Force Bernacchi detectives charged Bean, a private school-educated college graduate, with involuntary manslaughter more than a year later in December 2022.
Johnson, 45, was charged with the same charge the next day and both he and Bean, 39, were denied bail. Neither of them pleaded guilty.
A bodyguard accused of providing drugs to a construction manager whose body was later found in the stairwell of his apartment escaped prosecution after a manslaughter charge was dropped. Celia Bean (above) spent more than 16 months in custody and was refused bail
Police charged the couple with gross criminal negligence for failing to call an ambulance when Browne overdosed on drugs they allegedly supplied to him.
Parramatta Local Court heard a forensic pathologist had determined Browne could have survived if medical assistance had been provided sooner.
It was also alleged that a text message exchange between Bean and Johnson suggested they were trying to distance themselves from the incident by claiming they were not responsible for Mr Browne’s death.
At Johnson’s first court appearance, his lawyer said the prosecution’s case was based on “conjecture” and “speculation,” and expressed concern that no charges had been filed for more than a year.
Bean’s arrest came shortly after he completed a five-month intensive corrections order for entering a building with intent to commit an indictable offence.
In September 2018, she was sentenced to three months’ good behavior bail after being convicted of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception and theft.
At the same time, she was convicted of having in her custody property suspected of theft and possession of a prohibited drug.
Police had alleged that former reality TV contestant Paul Browne (9 above) died after taking heroin and methamphetamine supplied by sex worker Celia Bean and her friend Shayne Johnson. Charges against both were dropped.
Johnson, who was released from rehab three days before his arrest, had been jailed for a month in October 2022 for possession of a prohibited drug and driving without ever having had a license.
He already had a long criminal record for drug and property crimes committed under the last name Teece.
Bean remained in custody for the next 16 months as the case progressed through the courts until he was granted $2,000 bail on April 19 this year.
He was required to stay with his mother at the family home in the Southern Highlands, not take illicit drugs and not come into contact with Crown witnesses.
While on remand, Johnson was sentenced to one year and three months in jail for a previous carjacking and aggravated entry into a business home with intent to rob.
That sentence expired in November of last year.
Johnson was granted bail on the manslaughter charge on March 27, under strict conditions, including that he live in the state’s northern New England district.
The man, now 46, was also ordered not to contact prosecution witnesses, not to use drugs or alcohol and not to come within 100 kilometers of Sydney.
The next time Johnson faced Downing Center Local Court on the manslaughter charge on April 18, the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions dismissed it.
Bean faced the same court on May 28 when the 41-year-old man’s manslaughter charge was also dropped and dismissed.
Mr Browne’s body was discovered about 9pm on October 8, 2021 on a fire escape (above) at Celia Bean’s apartment block on Dalmeny Road in Zetland, in Sydney’s inner south.
The Attorney General’s Office did not provide an explanation for why the charges were dropped.
“The reasons for the decision to withdraw a charge are established in accordance with prosecutorial guidelines and are legally privileged,” a spokeswoman said.
“As such, we politely decline to comment.”
A New South Wales Police spokeswoman confirmed Browne’s death was no longer the subject of an active investigation.
“As the charges are not progressing and the coroner has dispensed with an investigation, there will be no further investigation by Strike Force Bernacchi, pending further information,” the spokeswoman said.
Before becoming an escort, Bean attended the exclusive Frensham School in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, where she was an accomplished equestrian and later earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Sydney.
He also completed a postgraduate diploma in education at the University of Technology Sydney.
But Bean never put her tertiary qualifications to good use, instead working in roles such as a receptionist at a law firm and a customer service representative at Woolworths.
Police believed Browne drove to Bean’s apartment block in Rosebery (above) from his nearby home in Zetland and could have been dead for up to 19 hours before his body was found.
One of Mr Browne’s friends told Daily Mail Australia after his death that the shopkeeper was “a handsome guy” who didn’t need to pay for sex and was probably just “partying” with Bean.
Isaac Parry said Browne had enjoyed recreational drugs when he was younger, when his interests included “girls, music, clubbing and cryptocurrency”.
Browne auditioned for X-Factor when she was 22, singing Robbie Williams’ hit Angels as a challenge in front of judges Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Guy Sebastian, Ronan Keating and Mel B.
In response to all four judges describing her vocal ability as terrible, Browne said her performance fell flat because “my mouth is a little dry” and “the song wasn’t in my key.”
Police urged anyone who believed they had information about Mr Browne’s death to contact Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000.