Dezi Freeman’s final moments to be revealed in inquest
The final moments of fugitive Dezi Freeman’s life before she was shot dead by police will be published in minute detail to allow the coroner to determine the circumstances surrounding her death.
The 56-year-old man was fatally shot by police at a remote property at Thologolong, near Walwa on the Victoria-NSW border, on Monday following a months-long manhunt.
As one of the biggest searches in the country comes to an end, a coroner will take over the investigation and examine the circumstances surrounding the seven-month period.
Freeman was wanted for the shooting deaths of Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart, who were among the police team serving an arrest warrant at his home in Porepunkah in late August.
Queensland University of Technology forensic criminologist Claire Ferguson said the coroner would examine all three deaths in detail to determine who died, how they died and what could be done to prevent future deaths.
As part of this process, a brief of evidence will be compiled, witnesses will be called to give evidence and the coroner will also review the final moments of Freeman’s life and the police’s decision to shoot him.
“They will have a full reconstruction of what actually happened and that could be identifying people’s exact positions at the scene and forensic evidence,” Dr Ferguson told AAP.
The highly technological 3D reconstruction will be supported by the testimony of those who shot Freeman, what he did, what he looked like, what firearms he had and the decision-making process involved in shooting him.
The smallest details, including how he was shot and the special assistance given after the incident, will also be told to give the coroner an idea of what happened at the scene.
“They will carry out this inquest as thoroughly as possible and then the coroner will make recommendations based on that,” Dr Ferguson said.
Footage emerged showing Freeman, wrapped in a blanket, emerging from a shipping container that appeared to be a temporary campsite, then pulling out a gun from underneath and pointing it at police.
It is unknown whether he fired the gun before multiple officers fired their weapons.
Whether this video comes to light will depend on the coroner weighing the benefits of transparency and accountability and the probative value of people seeing police shoot someone, Bond University criminologist Terry Goldsworthy said.
“It is not out of line for the coroner to think that this footage will show that the police did their best and ensure that there is no conspiracy theory that Freeman was unlawfully shot,” he said.
Dr Goldsworthy said allegations of child sexual abuse against Freeman would be investigated to inform the coroner of the initial decision by police to attend his property, but a finding of guilt would not be made.
The officers’ families, as well as Freeman’s, will get a clear outline of what happened during the judicial process.
“This will be the final stage of closure for them when the coroner carries out the inquest and makes a finding,” Dr Goldsworthy said.
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