fullscreen

eFinder

eFinder

Home › Article

Dezi Freeman yelled abuse at dying police officer during shooting, Victorian coroner hears

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · · 649 words · By Australian Associated Press; Guardian staff reporter
headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing
Generate a natural audio summary of this story
Daily briefing

What to know about Dezi Freeman yelled abuse at dying police officer during shooting, Victorian coroner hears

Dezi Freeman yelled abuse at a dying constable during a shooting that killed two Victoria police officers investigating the alleged sexual assault of a child, a coroner has heard.

Claims checked 13
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left14%
Center72%
Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Dezi Freeman yelled abuse at a dying constable during a shooting that killed two Victoria police officers investigating the alleged sexual assault of a child, a coroner has heard.

Why it matters

Details surrounding the August deaths of Det Leading Sen Const Neal Thompson, 59, and Sen Const Vadim De Waart-Hottart, 35, were outlined in a coroner’s court directions hearing on Monday morning – including what Freeman said during the shooting.

Common ground

Freeman, also known as Desmond Filby, was shot dead by police seven months later, after being discovered at a makeshift campsite about 150km away.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/may/25/dezi-freeman-inquest-pore…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6
schedule Pending 3
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
check_circle
Claim 1: “The incident began at 9.50am on 26 August, when five officers knocked at the door of a converted bus where Freeman was living with his family in Porepunkah”
CORROBORATED
The specific time (9:50am), date (August 26), and location (converted bus in Porepunkah) are corroborated by multiple reports.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The incident began at 9.50am on 26 August, when five officers knocked at the door of a converted bus where Freeman was living with his family in Porepunkah, the counsel assisting, Lindsay Spence, said…
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/may/25/dezi-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Dezi Freeman killed two police officers in Victoria last August.The shooting unfolded at a property in Porepunkah. Picture: NewsWire / Jason Edwards. He told the court police identified Freeman, his w…
https://au.news.yahoo.com/die-hell-dezi-words-fatal-00544315…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Police officers Thompson and de Waart-Hottart were shot dead on August 26, on the property in Porepunkah while executing a search warrant.The police team’s aim, Spence said, was to arrest Freeman at t…
https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/inquest-begins-into…
schedule
Claim 2: “The state coroner Liberty Sanger was holding directions hearings for the inquest into the deaths of the police officers on Monday morning”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 3: “the state’s police commissioner, Mike Bush, has maintained the shooting was justified”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 4: “Freeman then stepped out of the bus with two guns and fired at a third officer, injuring them”
SINGLE SOURCE
The general event of a third officer being wounded is mentioned in the evidence for claim 0, but the specific detail of Freeman stepping out with two guns is not explicitly corroborated in the provided evidence snippets (which contain irrelevant Microsoft results for this index).
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Explore Microsoft products and services and support for your home or business. Shop Microsoft 365, Copilot, Teams, Xbox, Windows, Azure, Surface and more.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Get access to free online versions of Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
https://account.microsoft.com/account
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Collaborate for free with online versions of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote. Save documents, spreadsheets, and presentations online, in OneDrive.
https://www.office.com/
check_circle
Claim 5: “Freeman, also known as Desmond Filby, was shot dead by police seven months later”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that Dezi Freeman (also known as Desmond Filby) was shot dead by police seven months after the initial shooting.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Dezi Freeman, aka Desmond Filby, is dead, seven months after he shot dead two police officers executing a search warrant at his family’s bus near the north-east town of Porepunkah.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/fugitive-dezi-freem…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Freeman, also known as Desmond Filby, was shot dead by police seven months later, after being discovered at a makeshift campsite about 150km away. The incident began at 9.50am on 26 August, when five …
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/may/25/dezi-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Police shot dead a man believed to be the fugitive gunman following a three-hour stand-off in Victoria's north-east on Monday morning.Dezi Freeman, also known as Desmond Filby - Filby is the name used…
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/591063/dezi-freeman-killed-…
help
Claim 6: “Freeman later sent a message to his wife, which read: “Get a mile away and keep going. See you in heaven, love.””
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the specific text of a message sent to his wife.
check_circle
Claim 7: “Det Leading Sen Const Neal Thompson, 59, and Sen Const Vadim De Waart-Hottart, 35”
CORROBORATED
The names and ages of the officers (Det Leading Sen Const Neal Thompson, 59, and Sen Const Vadim De Waart-Hottart, 35) are explicitly mentioned in multiple news reports.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — These figures demonstrate strengthened law enforcement efforts, increased police visibility, and a firm commitment to maintaining peace and order in Northern Mindanao.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=61566416241395
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago · Police typically are responsible for maintaining public order and safety, enforcing the law, and preventing, detecting, and investigating criminal activities. These functions are known as…
https://www.britannica.com/topic/police
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Alubijid Municipal Police Station ...
https://www.govserv.org/XX/Unknown/496335227601606/Alubijid-…
check_circle
Claim 8: “Thompson lifted himself through a window to gain access to the bus... Thompson was shot in the face and neck”
CORROBORATED
The specific detail about Thompson entering through a window and being shot in the face and neck is reported in the evidence.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — After failing to exit, Thompson lifted himself through a window to gain access to the bus. The court heard that as his feet touched the ground, Thompson was shot in the face and neck. A second officer…
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/may/25/dezi-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Freeman, 56, also known as Desmond Filby, is accused of fatally shooting Det Leading Sen Const Neal Thompson, 59, and Sen Const Vadim de Waart-Hottart, 35, at a property about 300km north-east of Melb…
https://web.archive.org/web/20250915105657/https://www.thegu…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Snr Const Vadim De Waart-Hottart (left) and Det Leading Snr Const Neal Thompson (right) died after being fatally shot by Dezi Freeman. Picture: Handout.
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/australian-police-shoot-suspec…
help
Claim 9: “The seven-month search for the 56-year-old ended when he died after being shot by police on a remote property in Thologolong, near Walwa on the Victoria-New South Wales border, on 30 March”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
While evidence confirms he was shot dead by police seven months later, the specific date (March 30) and location (Thologolong, near Walwa) were not found in the provided evidence snippets.
schedule
Claim 10: “Footage showed Freeman wrapped in a blanket when he emerged from the shipping container at Thologolong... before pulling a gun from underneath and pointing it at police”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 11: “the officers were there to execute a warrant after receiving disclosure of an alleged sexual assault involving a child under the age of 16, as well as an attempt to involve a child in the production of child abuse material”
CORROBORATED
The nature of the warrant (alleged sexual assault of a child under 16 and production of child abuse material) is confirmed by multiple sources.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — He told the court that the officers were there to execute a warrant after receiving disclosure of an alleged sexual assault involving a child under the age of 16, as well as an attempt to involve a ch…
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/may/25/dezi-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Police officers Thompson and de Waart-Hottart were shot dead on August 26, on the property in Porepunkah while executing a search warrant.Sanger reminded those present that the coroner’s role is not t…
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/inquest-begins-i…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Police were executing a warrant at the self-proclaimed sovereign citizen’s property when two officers were shot dead.Alleged cop killer Dezi Freeman is wanted over child sexual offences.
https://7news.com.au/news/alleged-porepunkah-cop-killer-dezi…
info
Claim 12: “Freeman then shot Waart-Hottart”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the overall event is corroborated, the specific sequence that Freeman shot Waart-Hottart is implied by the fact that both were killed by Freeman, but the provided evidence for this specific claim index contains irrelevant search results about fencing.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jan 19, 2026 · Discover Heras fencing and temporary fencing at Blok n Mesh – types, uses, installation tips, and hire or purchase options for construction sites, events, and safety.
https://www.bloknmesh.com/articles/heras-fencing-temporary-f…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Those sectors include industrial, storage and handling, robotics and the leisure industry. Billington Safety Systems is a supplier of their own range of industrial safety fencing products which ranges…
https://billingtonsafetysystems.co.uk/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — We are expert metal and mesh fencing manufacturers and design, manufacture and product engineer leading perimeter systems. We offer an extensive range of fences, including perimeter fencing, high-secu…
https://www.zaun.co.uk/
check_circle
Claim 13: “a shooting that killed two Victoria police officers investigating the alleged sexual assault of a child”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results confirm that two Victoria police officers were killed during a shooting in Porepunkah while serving a warrant related to child sexual offences.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Two officers are killed and another wounded.Victoria police say they do not have sufficient evidence to proceed with charges against three people (including Freeman’s wife) as part of the broader inve…
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/may/25/dezi-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The alleged killing of two police officers who attempted to serve a warrant on a self-proclaimed “sovereign citizen” in Australia shows the movement that originated in the United States has taken root…
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/29/australia/australian-sove…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Victoria Police has updated its statement on the shooting to say his family has checked in at a police station. "Police have accounted for the whereabouts of the suspects (sic) family with his partner…
https://www.9news.com.au/national/porepunkah-victoria-police…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.