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Family members whose loved ones\u2019 deaths were examined by a world-first inquiry have expressed regret the cold cases were not investigated sooner by police, amid revelations that key exhibits and records have been lost.<\/p>\n
The state\u2019s landmark special commission of inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes was packed with supporters at its final hearing in Sydney on Tuesday ahead of the delivery of the final report on December 15.<\/p>\n
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Peter Russell, left, the brother of John Russell, and his partner Donna Hannah outside the LGBTIQ hate crimes inquiry on Tuesday.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Kate Geraghty<\/cite><\/p>\n Among the suspected bias crimes examined by the inquiry was the death of John Russell, 31, whose body was found on the rocks beneath the Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk in 1989 near a known gay beat.<\/p>\n The inquiry has heard hairs found on Russell\u2019s left hand were lost by police by 1990 and never forensically examined. A cigarette packet, lighter and Coca-Cola bottle found near his body also appeared to have been lost, and his clothes were washed.<\/p>\n His brother Peter Russell said outside the hearing that the inquiry had been a \u201clong journey\u201d, and \u201cthe whole family has been let down by the NSW Police Force a long time ago\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they had\u2019ve looked after that evidence, I wouldn\u2019t be standing here now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u2018Sadly, I feel that the police actions were grossly inadequate at the time.\u2019<\/p>\n Russell said that \u201csomebody obviously knows something, but \u2026 if they don\u2019t say anything soon it will all go to the grave with them\u201d.<\/p>\n Asked if he had a message for his brother, Russell said: \u201cYou\u2019re still massively loved. You\u2019re missed.\u201d<\/p>\n The final report of the inquiry, headed by Supreme Court Justice John Sackar, is expected to include a confidential section to avoid prejudicing any potential future investigations and prosecutions. Sackar said in his closing remarks that \u201chatred and prejudice against any person because of their identity is an affront to a civilised society\u201d.<\/p>\n John Russell, aged about 21. Ten years later, in 1989, his body was found at the base of the sea cliffs at Bondi.<\/span><\/p>\n Lynette Elias, whose brother\u2019s death was examined by the inquiry, said she was thankful for its work.<\/p>\n \u201cSadly, I feel that the police actions were grossly inadequate at the time and in my situation I think we could have found out so much more,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Senior counsel assisting the inquiry, Peter Gray, SC, said in his final remarks that \u201chard truths have certainly been told\u201d and \u201cmany voiceless people have been given a voice\u201d.<\/p>\n The inquiry had a dual task of examining all unsolved suspected LGBTIQ hate crime deaths in NSW between 1970 and 2010, as well as any unsolved potential bias crimes among more than 80 deaths previously reviewed by NSW Police under Strike Force Parrabell.<\/p>\n The inquiry ultimately identified four suspected hate crime deaths from more than 700 unsolved homicides in NSW, and a further 20 were drawn from Parrabell.<\/p>\n Gray said four was a \u201clower than expected\u201d number but the inquiry revealed considerable gaps in police records, the inquiry had finite time and resources, and it was \u201cunfortunately possible that cases have been missed\u201d.<\/p>\n Gray said there was reason to suspect LGBTIQ bias was a factor in all 20 of the unsolved Parrabell cases that the inquiry concluded were actual or suspected homicides.<\/p>\n By contrast, Strike Force Parrabell said in 2018 that just five of the 23 deaths it considered unsolved at that time were suspected bias crimes.<\/p>\n The inquiry identified a number of leads, including persons of interest in the 1993 cold case murder of former AC\/DC manager Crispin Dye and the 1976 killing of Ernest Head in Summer Hill. While both suspects are now dead, there is the potential for further persons of interest to emerge in the Dye case.<\/p>\n The inquiry also exposed major shortcomings in NSW Police storage and retention of exhibits.<\/p>\n The relationship between the inquiry and NSW Police has been marked by tensions. Gray said the force had made \u201csignificant efforts since the 1990s to reassess and improve the ways in which it relates to the LGBTIQ community\u201d.<\/p>\n However, he said that strike forces including a reinvestigation of the suspected deaths of Russell and two other men near the Bondi to Tamarama walk, Ross Warren and Gilles Mattaini, appeared to betray an \u201cattitude … resistant to acknowledging the extent of the hostility experienced by LGBTIQ people in the 40-year period under examination\u201d.<\/p>\n Gray also noted NSW Police publicly expressed their support for the inquiry but adopted positions that \u201coften gave the appearance of a defensive if not adversarial mindset\u201d.<\/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.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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