Good morning, welcome to our coverage of the coronial inquest into the deaths of police officers Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart, and the man who murdered them, Dezi Freeman. Victoria’s state coroner, Judge Liberty Sanger, will today begin her formal inquiry into the deaths, with two directions hearings at the Coroners Court. Coronial hearings are held for violent or unnatural deaths, to determine exactly what happened. The inquiry assists coroners to make recommendations to prevent similar deaths in the future. Sanger’s investigation will likely
scrutinise the events that led to the police officers attending the Porepunkah property where Freeman was living last year, and the events of August 26, when Freeman shot and killed the officers and then went into hiding. The inquest will also focus on the manhunt for Freeman and the events of March 30, when he was shot dead in a confrontation with police at a property in Thologolong, near the NSW border. Reporters Erin Pearson and Grant McArthur will be in court today to bring
you the latest developments.
coronial inquest, Liberty Sanger, Dezi Freeman, Neal Thompson, Vadim de Waart-Hottart, Porepunkah, Thologolong, police shootings, manhunt, directions hearings