The family of a cop gunn*d down by Dezi Freeman have accused Victoria Police of deepening their grief and poor communication as they reveal plans to sue the force.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, was one of two officers ki*led when a team of police visited Freeman’s home at Porepunkah, in north-east Victoria, to serve a warrant on August 26 last year.
Senior Constable Vadim de Waart‑Hottart was also fatally sh*t, while a third officer was seriously injured.
For the first time since the sh**ting, Senior Constable Thompson’s sisters Dianne Thompson and Lois Kirk have spoken publicly, alleging failures by police leadership during the weeks and months following their brother’s de*th.
Their lawyer has also raised questions about why elite forces such as the Special Operations Group – who gunned down Freeman last week – were not used to serve the original warrant on him.
Victoria Police has responded to the sisters with a statement saying every effort had been made to ‘provide timely updates to all families involved’ and that they had spoken directly with Senior Constable Thompson’s partner on multiple occasions.
However, Dianne and Lois say their confidence in Victoria Police began to unravel almost immediately after their brother’s d**th, after learning of the tragedy via phone call, rather than in person.
They claim communication only worsened as time went on.
‘We have been under extreme emotional stress and trauma since our big brother Neal was shot and kil*ed on August 26,’ Dianne Thompson told the Herald Sun.
‘The grief alone is bad enough, but to be completely ignored by Victoria Police from the day Neal died to now is beyond comprehension.’
The sisters allege they were not kept updated on key developments, were not offered the chance to travel to Porepunkah in the days after the sh**ting, and felt marginalised during their brother’s funeral and later memorial events.
They said they did not learn from police that Freeman had been sh*t dead last week after 216 days on the run, but instead from their lawyer after missed calls.
In a detailed letter sent to Chief Commissioner Mike Bush in December, the sisters outlined what they described as ongoing neglect, including being unaware of memorial services and being unable to collect their brother’s ashes.
‘His loss has left a permanent fracture in our family, in our daily lives, and in the fabric of who we are,’ they wrote.
‘We expected grief, we expected heartbreak, but we did not expect to feel invisible.’
They described being seated away from close family members at Senior Constable Thompson’s funeral and said they were forced to introduce themselves to senior political figures in attendance.
‘We had to approach the Prime Minister and the Premier ourselves, as they did not know who we were,’ Dianne said.
The sisters, represented by police accountability lawyer Jeremy King, will take part in a forthcoming coronial inquest into the de*ths of the two officers.
Mr King told the Herald Sun ‘real questions’ would be asked about the reasons why police did not use elite squads to serve the warrant on Freeman given the risks involved.
At the time of Senior Constable Thompson’s death, Freeman was living in a bus and was the subject of a warrant over alleged historical sex offences.
Senior Constable Thompson was shot as he climbed through a window before Freeman turned his weapon on Senior Constable de Waart‑Hottart.
Victoria Police told Daily Mail in a statement responding to the sisters’ claims that the past seven months had been ‘an incredibly difficult time’, particularly for the families of the two officers kil*ed.
Police said that they had been in contact with the families since the incident and had taken steps to keep them informed while ensuring support services were in place.
The statement said the Chief Commissioner had spoken on multiple occasions directly with Senior Constable Thompson’s partner, the parents of Senior Constable de Waart‑Hottart, and the officer seriously injured during the August 26 incident.
Victoria Police also acknowledged concerns raised by Senior Constable Thompson’s sisters and confirmed officers had met with them following correspondence sent to the Chief Commissioner.
Police said liaison officers from the Homicide Squad and the local area had been appointed to provide updates on the investigation and support around welfare and memorial events.
‘While every effort is made to provide timely updates to all families involved, we are always conscious of the need to manage ongoing investigations,’ the statement said.
Victoria Police said discussions with the sisters were continuing, but it would not be appropriate to provide further details.
The sisters’ claims come after a man and woman were arrested following an investigation into Freeman’s movements during his seven months on the run.
Victoria Police arrested the pair, believed to be associates of Freeman, at two properties in the state’s northeast about 7am Saturday.
They were interviewed by police and have since been released, pending further inquiries. No charges have been laid.
Police confirmed that the pair are not family members of Freeman.