Dezi Freeman, the man who killed two police officers in Victoria's High Country in August 2025, has reportedly made an online plea for respect. The plea comes as the Victorian Coroner's Court examines the deaths of Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, 34, and Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, along with Freeman, who was shot by police.
During a directions hearing on Monday, the court heard that Freeman made “appalling remarks” as he stood over the bodies of the officers. Counsel assisting, Lindsay Spence, declined to repeat the remarks out of respect for the families. The officers were killed while executing a search warrant over allegations of child sexual abuse and child abuse material.
The court was told that police attempted to negotiate with Freeman for about 34 minutes before he opened fire. Detective Thompson was shot in the face and neck after entering the bus through a window, and Senior Constable de Waart-Hottart was shot in the head as officers retreated. Freeman allegedly used a shotgun and later a stolen police firearm to shoot Thompson a second time.
Freeman's son has since taken to social media to plead for respect for his father, asking the public not to judge him solely based on the incident. The coroner is expected to set dates and scope for the inquests in the coming days.
