![\"Grant](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/8f40008b3f5ce4ffa8b6e2333d127700462b9f21f1478e02834f50a550837113.png\")
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n It was the same courtroom, same day and same coroner, but there were huge differences between the twin coronial hearings for murdered police officers Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart and, later, that of their killer Dezi Freeman.<\/p>\n Some of those differences were reassuring, respectful and even heartening.<\/p>\n But one is baffling, and it will be forever difficult to comprehend.<\/p>\n When Coroner Liberty Sanger opened the first hearing on Monday, to examine the deaths of Thompson and de Waart-Hottart, there was barely a spare seat in room one of the Coroners Court.<\/p>\n Thompson\u2019s sisters, Lois Kirk and Dianne Thompson, sat in the left of the gallery among a dozen of the veteran officer\u2019s wider family and friends. They sat calmly and respectfully, focusing on proceedings without giving any sign of the heartbreak forced upon them.<\/p>\n De Waart-Hottart\u2019s family also attended, though they watched via a video link from their native Belgium.<\/p>\n What they heard was distressing.<\/p>\n Lindsay Spence, the counsel assisting the coroner, stepped through agonising detail not only of how Freeman had killed the officers, but how he then stood over their bodies and taunted them: \u201cF—ing scum. Die in hell.\u201d<\/p>\n Spence told the coroner that Freeman also said much worse but, out of respect to the families gathered, he spared those details.<\/p>\n It was beyond painful but, with so many months focused on Freeman and his whereabouts<\/a>, it was important to finally hear what Thompson, de Waart-Hottart and their colleagues had endured while trying to serve and protect us, delivering a warrant on Freeman for child sex offences.<\/p>\n When the courtroom reopened in the afternoon, to begin examining the death of Freeman<\/a>, the mood changed.<\/p>\n There were no obvious Freeman family members or supporters present and, although the number of suit-wearing detectives had increased, many seats in the gallery were empty.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n A friend of Thompson\u2019s returned and sat at the back, though most of those close to the fallen officers stayed away, refusing to acknowledge Freeman\u2019s time in the spotlight.<\/p>\n What time and attention Freeman did receive was limited. His hearing lasted just 16 minutes \u2013 half that afforded to the officers in the morning \u2013 and lacked detail.<\/p>\n The time taken to forensically explain in the morning hearing the exact placement, timing and direction of people\u2019s movements and shots fired were replaced instead with vague descriptions of \u201cnumerous gas canisters\u201d, \u201cnumerous SOG [special operations group] operatives\u201d, and \u201cnumerous things\u201d in the afternoon.<\/p>\n The lack of detail may have been practical \u2013 a much shorter time to gather evidence, and investigations continuing into who aided Freeman while he was on the run \u2013 but it was also reassuring.<\/p>\n Freeman has had more than his fair share of attention over the past seven months, and it was important that the families of Thompson and de Waart-Hottart could take heart in knowing the lion\u2019s share of the coroner\u2019s attention was focused on finding out what happened to them.<\/p>\n But there was another obvious difference between the cases. And it\u2019s one that is baffling, if not scary for the legacy it may create.<\/p>\n During the hearing into the officers\u2019 deaths, we heard that four of the eight police at the scene had body-worn cameras on and activated while Freeman murdered and taunted their colleagues.<\/p>\n Even an officer tasked with staying at the police cars \u2013 parked outside the property and well away from the shooting \u2013 had a body-worn camera recording.<\/p>\n The coroner will also have access to mobile phone footage shot by one of Freeman\u2019s family members and his landlord, Andrew Swift, in seeing the evil he undertook.<\/p>\n Related Article As Spence summed up: \u201cYour honour will have the benefit of that extensive volume of recorded evidence throughout the coronial investigation, which will greatly assist in ascertaining the circumstances of the deaths of Leading Senior Constable Thompson and Senior Constable de Waart-Hottart.\u201d <\/p>\n But when it comes to Freeman\u2019s death the story was different.<\/p>\n \u201cYour honour will not have the benefit of any body-worn camera footage to assist your honour\u2019s investigation,\u201d Spence told the coroner.<\/p>\n \u201cNone of the SOG members involved in the operation to apprehend the deceased [Freeman] \u2026 were outfitted with any body-worn camera or similar recording device.\u201d<\/p>\n The coroner was told she would have access to footage from the police helicopter (aside from a missing 53 minutes while the helicopter refuelled) including the \u201cfinal interaction\u201d when Freeman was shot dead.<\/p>\n Related Article![\"Detective](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2aed4dfa2d5f52cc706ac968bacdb1fb41fa1e61.jpeg\")
Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson (left) and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart.<\/p>\n![\"Neal](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/dec91852d1abfe131a5c47a3148304c3a26c311c.jpeg\")
Neal Thompson\u2019s sisters, Lois Kirk (left) and Dianne Thompson (centre), at the Coroners Court on Monday.Justin McManus<\/p>\n![\"Dezi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/8f4874efb913b8e19638c269106d346520d5d7e5.jpeg\")
Dezi Freeman\u2019s shipping container hideout where he was shot.Joe Armao<\/p>\n![\"Dezi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/a88423974d411a06a158982642598cdebb704d0520c171b341fdc621f13d7a67.jpeg\")
Dezi Freeman was killed after seven months on the run.Marija Ercegovac<\/p>\n![\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/05146dfebe7d2554592c95749d95e073fa333a4a07a34ca7b9164bef35939e6a.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Police](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ed263c6840c54ee201c8488b495e5f208d0f2be259955f930dcfe48409d45aab.jpeg\")
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