The former private schoolboy accused of the brutal stabbing murder of a 21-year-old was an award-winning student and footballer whose good looks made him popular with girls.

At Queensland’s prestigious $6,860-a-year Ipswich Grammar, Haedyn Rawson won a reading prize, played football and Australian Rules – and in 2017 took a trip to London with his classmates, where he posed in front of the iconic gates of Buckingham Palace.

The 23-year-old, now a heavily tattooed construction worker, is accused of using a kitchen knife to stab Will Swinbourne on Hope Island on Queensland’s Gold Coast.

Police allege Rawson stabbed Mr Swinbourne following an alleged botched drug deal in a vehicle in the Gold Coast Radiology Clinic car park at 2.15pm on Monday.

Mr. Rawson had been drinking at the Boardwalk Tavern next to the clinic prior to an alleged planned meeting with Mr. Swinbourne, police say.

The pair are said to have met two days earlier through mutual friends at British DJ Fred Again’s concert the previous Saturday evening at The Spit on the Gold Coast.

Haedyn Rawson in this photo was a sweet-faced schoolboy from his days at the prestigious Ipswich Grammar, where he had many friends and enjoyed friendships with girls

On Monday, after a lengthy manhunt in a gated community on lockdown, police arrested Haedyn Rawson and placed him in a forensic jumpsuit for his transfer to a holding cell.

On Monday afternoon, accounting student Will Swinbourne was found with life-threatening injuries in the parking lot on Santa Barbara Road on Hope Island, sparking a three-and-a-half-hour manhunt.

Police allege Mr Rawson fled on foot through a golf course on the nearby Sanctuary Cove estate, forcing the gated community into lockdown as officers combed through streets, waterways and golf courses.

He was eventually found in a cul-de-sac at around 6pm when police handcuffed him and dressed him in a blue forensic jumpsuit before taking him into custody in a police van.

Another 23-year-old man from Surfers Paradise who had been drinking with Rawson at the tavern was arrested at 4.45pm but was later released without charge.

Haedyn Patrick Zachary Rawson appeared in the Southport Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday morning charged with murder and has not entered a plea or applied for bail.

Haedyn Rawson is alleged to have stabbed 21-year-old Will Swinbourne (pictured) in the car park below Gold Coast Radiology on Hope Island at around 2.15pm on Monday.

Police take Mr Rawson to a van after handcuffing him following a long manhunt through the gated community and golf course of Sanctuary Cove

Most recently, Mr. Rawson worked as a construction foreman at a construction company not far from his home.

Mr Rawson lived on Redbank Plains, just a 20-minute drive from his old school Ipswich Grammar, reportedly with his parents.

He remains friends with his old classmates on social media, but images of him in recent years show an increase in visible tattoos on his arm and neck.

Tributes have been paid to Mr Swinbourne, who studied at Griffith University and whose girlfriend Kaysie Tooth shared a loving message on social media.

“I love you to the moon and back, in this life and the next and beyond,” she wrote alongside a photo of the couple sharing a kiss. “Forever looking at pictures of you, my love.”

Police describe the grim speed at which the fatal encounter allegedly occurred.

Haedyn Rawson played football and AFL while studying at the elite Ipswich Grammar and had kept in touch with his school friends while working in the construction industry

‘It happened very quickly. My understanding is that the victim has only just arrived and the incident has occurred,” Detective Inspector Mark Mooney claimed.

“We believe the altercation started in the car and … at some point he got out because he was found on the ground.”

Mr Swinbourne’s football team, Mudgeeraba Red Backs Rugby League Club, where he played for about 12 years, described him as a ‘very loyal kid, loyal to the club, loyal to his friends’.

Mr Rawson will return to court later this month.

By Freddy Pawle for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 6:20 AM EDT, March 10, 2024 | Updated: 6:46 AM EDT, March 10, 2024

A young woman is suing the high school she attended, alleging she did not have to deal with the incessant bullying that caused her disappointing graduation results.

A report from the Sydney Morning Herald said Aimee Clifton has filed an affidavit in the NSW Supreme Court over a claim against the Blue Mountains Grammar School (BMGS) in Wentworth Falls, near Katoomba NSW, for almost $600,000.

In the claim, Ms Clifton alleges that staff failed to protect her from the relentless bullying she faced while attending the school between 2017 and 2022.

She claims that despite being a ‘high achiever’ at school, the bullying led to her achieving an ATAR of 75.85.

Ms Clifton is seeking damages, including lost income from reduced future employment opportunities due to the lower score on the Higher School Certificate.

Aimee Clifton (pictured) is suing her former high school for just under $600,000 over alleged rampant bullying that lowered her ATAR score

Ms Clifton claims her parents filed a complaint about the alleged bullying in 2020, but BMGS only conducted a brief investigation and took no action.

She further claimed the bullying continued, including having her windscreen wipers ripped off, being called a ‘psycho b***h’ and being assaulted at the school’s sports carnival.

The alleged bullying resulted in her having a nervous breakdown, which led to her being hospitalized twice and withdrawing from classes essential for HSC preparation.

‘It ruined my life for months and caused me so much stress. I hope no other girl has to go through this,” she told the BBC Sydney Morning Herald.

Despite the teachers reportedly being aware of the bullying, she claims she received “minimal to zero academic support” after leaving classes.

Ms Clifton subsequently performed ‘very poorly’ in the HSC, despite expectations of a score above 90.

Better ATAR results will help students take more competitive university courses, which Ms Cliften claims she was put off by the bullying.

The year after completing her HSC, Ms Clifton graduated with an Advanced Diploma of Musical Theater from Brent Street, a performing arts studio in Sydney.

Ms Cliften claims her parents informed Blue Mountains Grammar School (pictured), near Katoomba, of the alleged bullying but no action was taken

BMGS’s harassment policy states that the school will “promptly consider all reports of suspected harassment, including bullying” and “attempt to resolve matters.”

‘The school is committed to providing a safe, positive and supportive environment for all; a situation where abuse is reported and responses are quick and effective in changing behavior and repairing relationships,” the policy reads.

The school’s principal since May 2022, Steven Coote, told the publication he could not comment on the claim.

“It is essential to prioritize the privacy and confidentiality of all parties involved, and that is why we want to proceed with the appropriate professionalism and sensitivity,” he said.

Daily Mail Australia contacted BMGS for comment.