A man charged with the murder of a father in a Sydney park 35 years ago was allegedly part of the so-called "Alison Park gang" and tended to assault gay men, a court has heard.
Stanley Early, 76, was extradited from Victoria to Sydney in August last year over the death of Raymond Keam, whose body was found at Alison Park in Randwick on January 13, 1987.
Police allege the 43-year-old martial arts expert died from severe head injuries as a result of a gay-hate crime based on a false perception of his sexual orientation.
Mr Early was on Friday granted bail in the NSW Supreme Court ahead of a trial in May.
After considering the Crown case statement, Justice Nicholas Chen said the case was circumstantial and appeared to be based on certain "admissions" and conduct following the event.
"It appears from the Crown case statement that park had a reputation for being a gay beat," the judge said as he gave his decision on bail.
The evidence suggested Mr Keam was struck a number of times to the head and also sustained injuries to his chest, the court heard.
Justice Chen noted the Crown said Mr Early travelled from Randwick to Bundaberg on January 13 that year.
It was alleged he had a tendency to "in broad terms" assault people who were homosexual who attended that park, the judge said.
The court also heard Mr Early, who appeared via audio-visual link, was allegedly part of a group known as "the Alison Park gang" which engaged in such activity.
His barrister Jeffrey Clarke had proposed strict conditions including electronic monitoring through an ankle bracelet.
In arguing for bail, Mr Clarke highlighted his client's personal circumstances, including health concerns.
Justice Chen said he appreciated Mr Early had anxiety and depression and had experienced difficulty securing a regular supply of medication.
He said Mr Early had a "significant history of offending", however on the material from the Crown, his last offending was in 1992.
Crown Prosecutor Kim Gourlie argued it was a strong circumstantial case and said Mr Early had a history that suggested "whenever he's in trouble he runs away".
The judge granted bail on a series of conditions, including that Mr Early wears an ankle bracelet, surrenders his passport, does not leave NSW and does not go within 500 metres of any international departure point.
A surety of $1 million was also offered to secure his bail.
He was ordered to live at a Surry Hills address, comply with a curfew between 10pm and 6am and not communicate with any of Mr Keam's family.
Police and the NSW government previously offered a $1 million reward for information about Mr Keam's death.
The case was examined by detectives from Strike Force Parrabell, set up to investigate whether there was a gay-hate motive behind the deaths of 88 men between 1976 and 2000.
