Disturbing discovery on cop killer Dezi Freeman’s electronic devices
Hundreds of child abuse material files have been found on Dezi Freeman’s digital devices after he shot dead two police officers who were sent to seize the items.
Freeman, 56, spent months on the run after ambushing the team of cops trying to serve a warrant over historic sex crime allegations at his home in Porepunkah, in Victoria’s northeast, last August.
Police took possession of several digital devices belonging to Freeman during the raid and forensic examinations later found the child abuse material, the ABC reports.
The police investigation into the historical sex offences included allegations of sexual exposure, with detectives in contact with one victim.
Freeman, a so-called sovereign citizen, was shot dead by police on March 30 during a siege at his off‑grid hideout 188km northeast of Porepunkah.
It followed the state’s largest ever manhunt, despite fears he had already killed himself in the immediate aftermath of the August shootout.
Officers found him inside a converted shipping container at Tholo Farm near Walwa, in northeast Victoria.
Police said he was wrapped in a blanket when he emerged from the shipping container at a makeshift campsite, before pulling out a gun and pointing it at police. He was hit by up to 27 bullets.
Hundreds of files of child abuse material have been found on Dezi Freeman’s devices
The devices were seized after the fatal search warrant in August last year when Freeman killed two police officers and fled into the bush
There had been no sign of him until a Thologolong local reportedly spotted him at the camp near the Victoria-New South Wales border and alerted police.
Questions have also circulated about who alerted police to where Freeman was holed up, particularly after a $1million reward was offered for any information leading to his arrest.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said that any details would remain confidential and declined to address questions suggesting a tip-off had prompted the operation.
There have been reports, including from the Herald, that a car travelled several times to and from the Porepunkah area, possibly prompting police investigations there.
Other communications from the fugitive in the days and hours after he shot two police officers have also come to light, as more scrutiny is placed on the seven-month manhunt.
Hours after fleeing the tragic scene, Freeman reportedly sent a text message to his wife, Mali, saying, ‘see you in heaven’.
This initially helped detectives establish a search area of about 10km to 15km from the couple’s home in Porepunkah.
He then made a call to an associate a few days later saying he ‘F***ed up’, but police were unable to determine his location, even after intercepting the call.
