Overview
- State Coroner Liberty Sanger has begun directions hearings to assemble coronial briefs and set the scope and timelines for two separate inquests: one into the August 2025 killings of Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart‑Hottart, and a second into Freeman’s death on March 30, 2026.
- Detectives from Taskforce Summit arrested two men in north‑east Victoria on Tuesday in an active probe of Freeman’s movements and possible assistance during his 216‑day evasion; both men were taken for interview and later released pending further enquiries.
- Court summaries read in the hearings described the August 26, 2025 ambush at Freeman’s Porepunkah property that left two officers dead and another seriously injured and said Freeman fled into bushland before seven months on the run.
- Evidence now being examined includes Freeman’s 23‑minute voice memo recorded inside the Thologolong shipping container, air‑wing video of the March 30 confrontation, forensic reconstructions and witness testimony, with counsel noting tactical officers were not wearing body‑worn cameras.
- Coronial inquiries are fact‑finding processes that can recommend changes to police practice and public safety; families, police leaders and forensic experts are expected to give evidence and a formal inquest timeline is being planned for next year.