Dezi Freeman posted an angry denunciation on Facebook about two former New South Wales police officers who were jailed for a violent arrest in Sydney weeks before he allegedly shot dead two Victorian officers attending his property to serve a warrant.
Freeman, described in reporting as a self-styled "sovereign citizen" who has expressed distrust of government and the justice system, shared a link to a news story about the officers' sentencing and wrote: "GUTLESS WORTHLESS PIG VOMIT WENT TO PRISON FOR THIS COWARDLY ATTACK THAT SHOWS WHAT COPS ARE REALLY LIKE," according to a Daily Mail account that located his private Facebook profile. The post was made on Aug. 9, the day after the former officers were jailed. Seventeen days later, on Aug. 26, Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart were shot dead and a third officer wounded at Freeman's Porepunkah property in Victoria's alpine region while police were executing a warrant over historical sexual assault allegations involving a minor.
New South Wales Police prosecutors and court documents say officers Nathan Black and Timothy Trautsch assaulted a 48-year-old woman during an arrest on Jan. 22, 2023, in Emu Plains. Video from body-worn cameras and CCTV shown at a sentencing hearing depicted the woman sitting naked on a roadside as officers used force, including kicking, punching, dragging by the hair and multiple applications of pepper spray, the court heard. The footage, which a judge allowed to be shown at sentencing despite suppression efforts, showed the woman being sprayed in the face, on her back and on her genitals during an 18-minute encounter. The woman later died in unrelated circumstances about 18 months after the incident, the court was told.
Black, 26 at the time of the assault, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, using a prohibited weapon without a permit and three counts of common assault, and admitted publishing protected material after sharing body-worn footage with a colleague. He was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison with a non-parole period of three years and three months. Trautsch, 27 at the time of the arrest, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, three counts of common assault and using a prohibited weapon without a permit; he was sentenced to five years with a non-parole period of three years.
Judge Graham Turnbull, who presided over the sentencing in Penrith District Court, described the officers' conduct as showing "gratuitous cruelty" and said he struggled to see any reason for the violence other than an intent to inflict pain. The court heard the officers later messaged a colleague boasting about the body-worn footage, and that Black had written that they had "caved her" and had recorded their actions.
Acting NSW Police Commissioner David Hudson condemned the behaviour, saying the officers' actions were "unforgivable" and did not reflect the values of the force. An internal investigation began after the incident and both officers were removed from duty, the police statement said.
Freeman's social-media activity in the weeks before the shootings included other posts critical of police and the justice system. On Aug. 12 he posted that "Australia's justice system is littered with corruption - it's a scam," and on Aug. 21 he shared a video titled "Do Australians have rights" with the comment: "We are not free," according to reporting that located his locked profile. Freeman's Facebook account, reportedly created in 2021 as an undercover or private account under the name "Buffalo Ezi," included posts indicating he rejected the legitimacy of government institutions.
Authorities in Victoria say Freeman opened fire when police attended his Porepunkah property to serve a warrant relating to historical sexual assault allegations. Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart were killed and a third officer was wounded. Freeman fled into surrounding bushland and, despite an extensive manhunt, had not been located as of the latest reports.
The sequence of events has prompted scrutiny in both states: the NSW assault and subsequent sentencing of Black and Trautsch drew national attention for the severity of the conduct captured on body-worn cameras, while the fatal shootings in Victoria have raised questions about officer safety when executing warrants and the risks posed by individuals hostile to police authority.
Court records in the NSW matter detail attempts by the officers to put the woman into an ambulance and an escalation of force when she resisted handcuffing. The woman, who had been released from a nearby correctional facility and had a diagnosed psychotic illness, was described in evidence as not having taken prescribed antipsychotic medication prior to the encounter. The footage released for sentencing showed the woman repeatedly pleading and praying during the assault.
Police and judicial authorities in New South Wales said they had taken immediate action when the assault came to light. In Victoria, investigators continue to search for Freeman and to examine the circumstances of the Aug. 26 shootings, including the lead-up to the warrant execution and the response to the attack. Legal proceedings in both matters remain active, with the NSW officers sentenced after guilty pleas and the Victoria case subject to ongoing police investigation and, potentially, future criminal charges if a suspect is apprehended.