Roger Rogerson: No bail for former Sydney policeman accused of Jamie Gao murder (ABC)

Former Sydney policeman Roger Rogerson has been refused bail in a Sydney court after a mammoth three-and-a-half-hour hearing.

The 73-year-old and his co-accused, former detective Glen McNamara, are charged with murder over the death of university student Jamie Gao in May.

Mr Gao's body was found floating in the sea off Cronulla a week after he was reported missing.

Police allege he was killed in a Padstow storage unit after a drug deal went wrong.

Rogerson appeared in Sydney's Central Local Court today via video-link to apply for bail.

In opposing his application, Crown prosecutor Chris Maxwell QC played to the court CCTV footage from the storage unit where Mr Gao was allegedly shot dead.

Mr Maxwell said the footage shows Rogerson taking "an active role" in the proceedings, describing the murder as a synchronised operation that Rogerson was "very much a part of".

He said there is a very strong case against the 73-year-old on both the murder and drug charges and that he will die in jail if convicted of either.

Rogerson's barrister George Thomas disputed that the prosecution had a "very strong" case.

He told the court the case against his client is built upon "speculation" and "weak circumstantial evidence".

He claimed his client was outside the Padstow storage unit when Mr Gao was shot dead and that no-one knows what happened inside except Rogerson and McNamara.

He raised the possibility that Mr Gao brought the gun to the drug deal and that the 20-year-old was killed in self defence.

Former detective Glen McNamara is also charged with Gao's murder.

He was refused bail earlier this month.

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