Dezi Freeman, the man who gunned down two Victorian police officers last year, is suspected of sexually exploiting two children in the period leading up to the murders. The ABC has reported that police held a warrant to seize Freeman's devices over allegations of historical child sex offences when he opened fire, killing constables Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart and wounding a third officer.
Details of the allegations were aired in the Victorian coroners court earlier this year, ahead of inquests into the officers' murders and Freeman's death during a police shootout in March. Counsel assisting the coroner, Lindsay Spence, told the court Freeman was being investigated over the alleged sexual assault of a child under 16 and an alleged attempt to involve a child in the production of abuse material.
It was previously understood that there was one alleged victim. Two law enforcement sources have told the ABC there are now two alleged victims.
Freeman spent 216 days on the run before he was tracked to a rural property at Thologolong, more than 150 kilometres north-east of Porepunkah. He was shot dead in March after emerging from a shipping container wrapped in a blanket and pointing a pistol at police. His death ended Australia's largest-ever tactical police operation, which involved more than 500 personnel from state, interstate and federal police, as well as police from New Zealand.
Investigators from Taskforce Summit have since raided and questioned several people in Victoria's High Country and regional NSW, probing whether they aided Freeman. Among those raided were Kay and Bruce Reid; Ms Reid has previously rejected any suggestion that the couple aided Freeman. Police believe those arrested and released since Freeman died are loosely linked through shared sovereign citizen beliefs. No charges have been laid.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The case reveals the full scope of offending alleged against a man who became Australia's most wanted fugitive.
- The inquiry into those who helped him evade capture highlights an active network of sovereign citizens.
- The inquests, due next March, will examine both the police operation and the circumstances leading to the shootings.
Background
Dezi Freeman, a self-described sovereign citizen, shot two Victorian police officers and wounded a third in August last year when they attempted to serve a warrant. He evaded capture for 216 days before being shot dead by police in March.
Key Perspectives
Taskforce Summit / law enforcement sources: believe Freeman sexually exploited two children and was aided by a network of people holding sovereign citizen beliefs.
Kay and Bruce Reid: rejected any suggestion they helped Freeman, with Ms Reid telling the ABC they had nothing to do with it.
What to Watch
- The inquests into the deaths of Freeman and the officers, due to begin in March next year.
- Whether police will lay charges against those suspected of aiding Freeman during his time on the run.
- The results of the forensic analysis of electronic devices seized by Taskforce Summit.