Sydney Gay Hate Inquiry Extended After NSW Police Delays
Image: Supreme Court Justice John Sackar
A special commission inquiring into anti-LGBTQI hate crime deaths has been granted an extension after delays by NSW police in providing documents and the unearthing of new forensic evidence.
Supreme Court Justice John Sackar, who was to submit the commission’s final report by August 30, has now time until December 15, 2023, to complete its work.
“The extension was required due to late production of records by the NSW Police Force, and promising developments arising from forensic testing undertaken at the direction of the Inquiry,” a spokesperson for the inquiry said in a statement.
Families Of Victims Deserve Answers
NSW Premier Chris Minns in a statement confirmed that the commission’s request for an extension had been granted.
“Today we’ve extended the Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes so it can continue to shine a light on past injustices. We’ve granted this extension to ensure that the Inquiry produces a final report which honours victims, and provides closure for families and the broader community,” said Minns.
NSW Attorney General Michael Daley said that families of victims deserved to know what happened to their loved ones. “For far too long, the families and friends of victims have suffered the unimaginable anguish of not knowing what happened to their loved one,” said Daley.
Re-Testing Of Evidence
The commission, which is looking into the unsolved deaths of gay men and trans women in Sydney and NSW between 1970 and 2010, has received over 140,000 documents from various agencies.
“Investigative steps are also still ongoing. These include re-testing or, in some cases, testing of exhibits, as well as fingerprinting analysis, and conferences with witnesses,” the spokesperson said, adding, “This Inquiry may represent the final opportunity for detailed consideration of these cases and maybe the last chance for perpetrators to be identified. It also represents what may be the last opportunity for the LGBTIQ community and the loved ones of the victims to learn the truth of what happened.”
In June the commission slammed NSW police for “undermining” its work by not producing documents in time.
“The haphazard production of the material called for in these various summonses, which has become a recurring feature in the last 13 months, does not permit the Inquiry to have confidence that all available material in relation to the cases under consideration by the Inquiry has been produced, even now,” senior counsel assisting Peter Gray said.
Justice Sackar termed the police’’ conduct “intolerable” and “unprofessional”.
