1st February 2014
On 17th April 2012 my son Jason Paul Protheroe
was shot dead by way of 2 bullets to the back of his body by a Queensland
Police Officer. At the time it was
reported on national television by Queensland Police union boss Mr Ian Leavers
that my son had hunted these two police officers down with a fully loaded
semi-automatic weapon with the intentions of shooting them, he described it as
a case of shoot or be shot. Mr Leavers
stated my son had been fatally shot in the chest and lower abdomen. The shooting officer Detective Senior
Constable Thomas Hess at the time during his initial interview that evening
stated that my son Jason had chased him across the yard into a carport and was
standing face to face in a stationary position approximately 2 metres apart
with arms out stretched aiming this alleged weapon at him and was still facing
him when he went down. He fired 4 shots,
4 shells were found and 2 bullets were found in Jason’s body and the other 2
bullets were never recovered.
Two days later as the case unfolded I attended the John Tonge
Centre (morgue) where an autopsy had been carried out on Jason. I was then told that the 2 bullets that had
entered my son’s body were to the back of his body. One to the left hand back of his shoulder and
the other two inches from the lower spine on the right hand side. This was an absolute and direct contradiction
as to the Official version given. There
were two other people who witnessed this event one was the partner of the
Police Officer Troy Weston who’s official version on the day of the shooting
was he thought he saw something dark in Jason’s hand but he could not say it
was a weapon or a gun. After Jason fell
to the ground Thomas Hess asked his partner Troy Weston to cover him which he
did. Thomas Hess stated that he then
bent down and took the alleged weapon from Jason’s hand and threw it on the
ground behind him, Troy Weston did not see a gun in Jason’s hand nor did he see
Thomas Hess remove a gun from Jason’s hand even though he was standing there
covering him. There were no fingerprints
at all found on the alleged weapon. He
said in court that he first saw the alleged weapon on the grass when he came
back in. The third person who was
present was an independent civilian witness who lived at the house stated uncategorically
that Jason was unarmed when Thomas Hess fired the shots at him.
Also when visiting the Morgue I became aware of the alleged
fully loaded semi-automatic pistol found on the ground near my son where Thomas
Hess allegedly threw it, was in fact a toy replica pistol. In the pathologists original autopsy report released
on 7th August 2012 it was noted that it would be difficult if not
impossible to interpret and reconstruct how these shots were sustained in the
circumstances as described in the Police Form 1. This is clearly not an open and shut case as
they would have had me and the people of Australia believe on the day of the
shooting. The findings of the Coroner went against my son clearly ignoring all
the evidence as well the recommendations of his own leading counsellor Peter
Johns in making his decision. Before my
son’s death an election was held on 24h March 2012 and a new Government was
elected led by Queensland’s new Premier Campbell Newman. I have sent letters to the Premier, Attorney
General Jarrod Bleijie
I believe that the foot soldiers of the Queensland Police
Force are honourable and decent young people who joined the force to make
Queensland a better place. However, they
take their orders from the hierarchy of the Queensland Police gang
(service). The problem lies with the
hierarchy of the Queensland Police gang (Service), the mentality of the
brotherhood is taught to these young people which comes directly from the
Police hierarchy. Premier Campbell
Newman, Police Minister Jack Dempsey, Police Minister Ian Stewart, Police Union
Boss Ian Leavers, the Attorney General Jarrod
Bleijie
I have also said that a
police badge and a gun is not a licence to kill. The fact remains that if a lay person was in
the same situation they would face a jury and have to prove innocence or self-defence
and the same law should apply to police officers. On 17th April this year will mark
the second anniversary of my son’s death.
Two years since he was taken away from us and still we seek the
truth. Jason may not be here to tell us
the truth, we were not there to see the truth, but one thing that is absolutely
clear is that Detective Senior Constable Thomas Hess admitted he killed my son
by way of two bullet wounds to the back of his body. In my mind all the evidence suggests that Thomas
Hess illegally killed our son and the investigation was absolutely and totally
incompetent be it deliberate, or be it Police and Government hierarchy brotherhood
mentality. My family and I will never
give up on the truth.
Stephen Protheroe
