‘Offensive’ mural of murdered couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies removed from Potts Point wall after it was spotted by residents

An ‘offensive’ mural depicting murdered Sydney couple Luke Davies and Jesse Baird has been removed amid controversy over the graphic portrayal of their alleged murder by a NSW police officer.

The young couple were allegedly murdered by Beau Lamarre-Condon at Mr Baird’s home before being dumped in a remote property.

A graphic mural depicting the suspected murder by a figure in police uniform was spotted on an alley wall by Sydney residents this week.

The image, posted on Reddit, appears to show Mr Baird and Mr Davies shot while lying down, with an iridescent pattern resembling blood.

In a statement, police said they were called to Earl Pl in Potts Point on Wednesday following reports from a member of the public of “offensive graffiti”.

“The graffiti has since been painted over by the City of Sydney Council,” police said.

‘Officers from Kings Cross Police Area Command are investigating the incident.’

A City of Sydney spokesperson confirmed the graffiti had been removed, adding that “the work depicted an act of violence.”

“We will remove such graffiti or posters as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson said.

The alleged double murder sparked an outpouring of grief within the city’s LGBTQI community, as well as a strong backlash against state police.

NSW Police were initially told they were no longer invited to attend last month’s Mardi Gras parade, before organizers agreed they could do so, but without uniforms.

The alleged double murder sparked an outpouring of grief within the city’s LGBTQI community, as well as a strong backlash against state police.

Users online were quick to condemn the mural as “very confrontational” and “in bad taste”, while some pointed out that the alleged killings were not linked to gay hate crimes.

“I would say in poor taste given the recency of the (deaths) and because family and loved ones are still very much in mourning,” one Reddit user said.

“However, I don’t think we should dismiss the suspect’s role as a police officer just because he is homosexual.

“I do think it’s relevant and something that shouldn’t be quickly dismissed.”

Another user said they were “glad it was removed” and opposed previous plans to ban police from the Mardi Gras parade.

Beau Lamarre-Condon is in pre-trial detention on suspicion of murder

“There are plenty of gay police officers and officers who think this is disgusting and should not be punished,” they said.

‘Just a step too far. It’s a tragedy, but far from a hate crime.”

Police have previously said they would argue in court that the killings were likely related to domestic violence and not related to the couple’s sexual identity.

Lamarre-Condon is currently in pre-trial detention. No pleas have been entered and he will appear in court again in April.