13th September 2014
I woke this morning with thoughts of my son Jason as I have
done for the last 2 1/2 years. Recently
I have noticed an upsurge in the amount of followers who are supporting our
fight for justice for Jason. The support
network is not only spreading throughout Australia but around the world as
well. In recent media headlines notable
cases are Gerard Baden Clay for the killing of his wife Allison and Oscar
Pistorius for the killing of his girlfriend Reeva. One was said to be a professional business
man and the other a professional sports person.
Both claimed they were not guilty of committing crimes against their
partners as do most defendants accused of these crimes, both have faced a
criminal trial and both were found guilty.
The dilemma I face every morning since my son’s death is why should Qld
Police Officer Thomas Hess who without doubt killed my son by way of 2 bullets
into the back of my son’s body verified by the pathologist who performed the
autopsy and witnessed by a civilian who was in the backyard at the time of the
killing and had full view of what happened.
For the gratitude of our supporters whom I have never met I
am a 59 year old father of 5 children (including Jason) and a grandfather to 12
children. I am constantly asked by my
wife and adult sons where things stand with justice being served for Jason. I constantly feel inadequate to my family as
everything takes time and it feels like forever. From the outset I have faced a hostile
government, a hostile justice system, a hostile police force but I will not
back down. I have been threatened, I
have lost faith in the justice system of Queensland, I have lost faith in the
Premier of Queensland, I have lost my eldest son but I will not give up on
having the killer of my son brought to justice.
I want to thank each and every one of you for your support you have
given me to date and I ask that you continue that support by sharing this story
with everyone you know. I am not asking
for money I am asking for help to bring my son’s killer to justice.
Another high profile killing of a Queensland citizen also killed
by a Qld Police Officer was Cameron Doomadgee in 2004 where a community rioted
and burnt the Palm Island Police station down.
Whist I would never instigate or condone any form of violent protest
what so ever, the one thing that can be said about the Cameron Doomadgee case is
that the community stuck together and stood up to a hostile government. I’m
simply asking that as a community we stick together and hold this government to
account that laws are passed that a uniform, a badge and a gun does not give
you the right to kill or possibly murder any citizen and not face a jury and
have the facts tested within a court of law by an independent jury.
At the Coronial Inquest, to my knowledge Coroner Michael
Barnes in his findings chose to ignore not only the facts presented by our
barrister Sam Di Carlo and Solicitor Craig Stevenson but also the summary of
his own right hand man Peter Johns. He
found that Thomas Hess had acted within the grounds of the law ignoring all the
factual evidence presented that stated otherwise. To then add more fuel to the fire the Coroner
in an unprecedented move then placed a gag order on the case 5 days following
the inquest. So our fight for Justice
has led us to social media as the media has been gagged and they will not help
us in our fight no matter how many facts we present to them as they are all too
scared of this government. What happened
to freedom of speech?
I often ask myself why me? Why Jason? Why my family? This
could have happened to any person anywhere in Queensland. If this person had been anyone but a Queensland
Police Officer I believe I would have faced a sympathetic police hierarchy and
government. Even after all that has
happened I hold no malice towards the Queensland Police Force as a whole, I
still believe that majority of our Qld Police Force are fighting to serve and
protect us as citizens of our state. I
also believe that most decent and honourable Police Officers agree that Thomas
Hess should face a jury. It is a blight
on the Queensland Premier and government that as a citizen of Queensland
holding most of the evidence of this case I should have to take out a private
prosecution against the killer of my son knowing the evidence exactly as I know
it, simply because this person is a Police Officer. I currently have my legal team preparing for
this.
The reality is simple Thomas Hess by his own admission deliberately
shot and killed my son, he doesn’t deny it.
So the question is what is this government trying to cover up? Campbell
Newman said after the last Stafford Bi election where his team was thrashed
that he would start listening to the people.
Well he’s not listening to me or my family and it is quite clear that
this Government after receiving letters from the Attorney General Jarrod Bleijie and Deputy Police Commissioner Ross Barnett wants
me silenced. This government and Police
force has clearly swept my son’s death under a carpet to protect their
own. There is an election looming early next
year and with your help I ask that if they’re not prepared to bring Thomas Hess
to a jury trial then as a united front you help me rid us of this government and
sweep it under a carpet, just as they did with my son’s death.
Yours Faithfully
Stephen Protheroe
Steve, you say "what has this government got to hide". I believe this government is protecting the police service, because they need them on side. The Premier promised accountable government. He will not even view evidence of a police system that needs change, or of a court system that protects errant police officers.
ReplyDeleteThe police service protects serving police officers who have lied as they protected, or did the bidding of more senior police officers.
This is an old army style system. Why did the police union go to such lengths to clear Hurley? It still cost them over a million dollars which was paid out by this government in 2 separate payments just after the LNP government took office. In my case why allow an officer on pay back to be successful in having other police officers making untruthful undocumented statements to justify a forced transfer? The cover up allows the officer's integrity to be completely trashed. The police union solicitor told him to change his story, because the non commissioned officer would never be believed over and above the commissioned officer. In other words, lie, so that you will be believed. Another police union solicitor said 'nod your nut and they'll look after you'. Again, you admit to the lie they are saddling you up to, they can transfer you out from your substantive position, and you will not face the 'bricking' by the police officers who collude and lie to punish you for speaking out to the A/C about the officer who threatened to shoot his supervisor and her dog with his firearm. You should not be supporting 18 other regional police officers who have written to the dog squad co-ordinator when the officer was not disciplined, but was rewarded with the transfer he demanded. The shadow police minister at the time, even used parliamentary privilege and attacked the officer in parliament who was threatened. Another A/C 2 years later presented supposed evidence that the officer had received managerial guidance by (surprise surprise) one of the officers who dishonestly investigated my son. Another high ranking police officer A/C told my son that regardless of the outcome of the QCAT hearing he would not return to the dog squad, as they are changing the culture of the dog squad. She also lied in her statement to work cover as she protected another Inspector who bullied and lied. After the deputy rubber stamped the investigation on his last day before he retired the officer was told if he did not agree with the findings he could appeal it at QCAT. QPS opposed his presenting the evidence the investigators and deputy ignored. He was also denied being cross examined. Even the only witnesses said it would have been impossible for him to see the incident. In our opinion he was denied all rights of being innocent until proven guilty, and no benefit of the doubt.
Five or six officers have been prepared to be involved to discredit this officer's integrity completely, solely to achieve a forced transfer.
The police union and the commissioner are not interested and remain un-contactable despite his good records and high PPA's.
Steve, I understand what you are going through. It's unbelievable that the law enforcers are prepared to lie, rather than investigate properly to at least have the truth known. Like you, I intend to tell everyone about this. I certainly don't want one on my grandchildren to experience the shocking investigative skills and dishonesty within the police services. At least people will be informed.