WESTERN BUREAU:

A St. James man has been detained in connection with the murder of the Australian tourist, found battered and stabbed to death inside his Montego Bay hotel room in August.

The male suspect, whose identity is being withheld pending identification parades, was held on Thursday afternoon in the western city. He was said to be in hiding over the past three months.

When contacted, Detective Inspector Paul Bernard of the Montego Bay Criminal Investigation Branch, said he was unable to disclose any information on their investigations.

A room attendant found 27-year-old Brian Johnston, of a Highwood address in Melbourne, Australia, about 3:10 p.m. on August 11, lying in a pool of blood inside his Gloustershire Hotel room.

He had stab wounds to the head, chest and neck, with a large wound over one of his eyes. Some parts of his body were black and blue and he had bruises.

There was reportedly evidence to suggest that Johnston had struggled with someone inside his room as a number of items, including a bedside lamp and a vase, were smashed.