![\"Isabel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/4798354ec8b3dcd6d68086a830301af7f32ad566fd0f19acdeda86a7b5f15020.png\")
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April 21, 2026 \u2014 7:47pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has slammed the YouTubers who entered and filmed the final hideout of police killer Dezi Freeman before posting the footage online, calling the videos \u201cdisrespectful\u201d of the families of the slain officers.<\/p>\n Speaking on ABC Radio Melbourne on Tuesday, the premier said the families of Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart deserved better.<\/p>\n \u201cThis sort of behaviour, it\u2019s disrespectful to the men and women of Victoria Police who lost two colleagues [and] the families of those men,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cMy thoughts immediately went to the families of Neal and Vadim, who I know continue to grieve their loss.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article The two officers were killed by Freeman \u2013 a self-described sovereign citizen \u2013 after they entered his Porepunkah property on August 26 to carry out a search warrant in relation to historical child sexual abuse allegations. Freeman opened fire, killing the officers and injuring another.<\/p>\n Footage from inside his final hideout was published last week<\/a> by YouTube channel The Chaos Chronicles, with three other videos following.<\/p>\n In a statement on Monday evening, Victoria Police confirmed they were investigating a report of trespass at the property on April 16.<\/p>\n \u201cInvestigators are aware of a video posted online in relation to the trespass and are investigating the circumstances,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, YouTuber Leif Hughes posted a fourth video to The Chaos Chronicles, saying he was adamant the videos did not break any laws in obtaining the footage.<\/p>\n Hughes claimed he had gone to the property last week with the intention to fly his drone over it, but was forced to enter and retrieve the device after it crashed. Once there, he and a cameraman decided to venture into the shipping container before continuing to explore the rest of the property.<\/p>\n According to the channel he pilots, Hughes has been in bike clubs and gangs, and spent \u201cmore time than anything\u201d in prison. In the latest video, he lashed out at the media for depicting him as a criminal and claimed he hadn\u2019t \u201cbroken any laws in well over five years\u201d.<\/p>\n He also claimed police had not contacted him in relation to the footage, which has amassed more than 120,000 views across the four videos.<\/p>\n Victoria Police on Tuesday evening confirmed their investigation is ongoing.<\/p>\n Hughes\u2019 footage showed the interior of a shipping container at the remote property in Thologolong where Freeman spent his final days.<\/p>\n On a dusty wooden table were two vitamin bottles \u2013 one of odourless wild fish oil, the other magnesium. Next to that was a box of tissues, an empty container that had contained sliced peaches, a bottle of methylated spirits, a small notepad, a pen, and salt and pepper shakers. A brown couch sat across from a generator, with a pair of dirty Ugg boots left next to it.<\/p>\n A man known for his ability to survive in the wild<\/a>, Freeman fled into the bush surrounding Porepunkah immediately after killing Thompson and de Waart-Hottart, sparking one of the biggest manhunts in the state\u2019s history.<\/p>\n Editor’s pick For more than 200 days, he was a wanted fugitive<\/a>. Many believed him to be dead until he was lured out of his hideout 150 kilometres away from Porepunkah, seven months on.<\/p>\n After hours of unsuccessful police negotiations, Freeman emerged from the Thologolong hideout<\/a> wrapped in a blanket before he opened fire with a weapon he had stolen from one of the slain officers. Police responded, killing him at the site.<\/p>\n The property\u2019s owner, Richard Sutherland, said he had no connection to Freeman and had been unaware the wanted man was living at his property. Sutherland, who has been living in Tasmania for months, is not suspected of any involvement.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Inside](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/a912233db8f1ead08ba7fbc753b9a32314570a32601338a11207d963a628b379.gif\")
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Dezi Freeman, pictured at a protest in Myrtleford, was a self-described sovereign citizen.Age Photos<\/p>\n![\"Anti-One](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/69e5dae81f70a9e53da3a2c0029ddf88a96ee53f.jpeg\")
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