Letter to Attorney General - 2 years after Jason's Death

16^th April, 2014

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice

Jarrod Bleijie

Level 18

State Law Building

50 Ann Street

Brisbane Qld 4000

Dear Mr Bleijie

I have now written to you on 3 separate occasions (1^st December 2013, 14^th December 2013 and 23^rd March 2014) and here I am yet again writing to you as I am yet to receive any form of response from you with regard to any of my letters.  It has been 2 years since Jason was shot and killed by Detective Thomas Hess and this government continues to sit on its hands and do nothing but ignore the facts, the evidence and the undeniable truth that things just don’t add up here. 

We have asked you several times to review the evidence of Jason’s case, have an open look at all the inconsistencies, and be honest with the citizens of Queensland.  I ask you yet again why should a Police Officer not face a jury of 12 independent people like any other lay person?  Two years on my family continue our fight for justice for Jason and we will not rest until the day that Detective Thomas Hess faces a jury and we are given a verdict from independent people, after the evidence is tried and tested, after all the inconsistencies are probed and answers given as to why versions have changed over and over again by the Police.  Only then can we truly accept the fate of our son.

On that point of versions changing, are you aware that at the initial critical interview with Detective Thomas Hess at the Boondall Police Station, the afternoon of the shooting.  Inspector Walton asks Detective Thomas Hess how Jason was shot in the back and Detective Thomas Hess responded by saying because he was going for cover, he had the perfect cover, and I had none.  Yet the following day at his walk through his version of events changed to Jason and I were standing approx. 2 meters apart, face to face, stationary, arms out stretched, then I aimed for centre of mass and fired and Jason was still standing when I finished firing.

I am also reiterating the last inconsistencies I advised you of, and with each letter I write to you I will include another inconsistency.  On the afternoon of Jason’s killing Ian Leavers in his capacity of Qld Police Union President stated words to the effect that the reputation of these two detectives involved were beyond reproach.  Are you aware that in the short period Detective Thomas Hess, the killer if not murderer of my son has been with Qld Police Force approximately 5 years.  In this short time Detective Thomas Hess has 3 complaints of allegations against his name including 5^th March 2007 Police Officer may be supplying local drug suppliers with information identifying details relating to planned police raids in Karanda, Mareeba and Cairns district. 23^rd May 2011 officer drew firearm although not discharged and 28^th June 2011 forced confessions/threats to induce admissions/confessions/obtain incriminating evidence.

Are you also aware in the evidence that Thomas Hess started his own recording from the lanyard around his neck after the shooting occurred?  During this recording an officer came up to Hess and clearly asks did he have a gun? Thomas Hess replied yeh mate yeh.  Then he removed his lanyard/recording device and placed it down, you then hear him go off and whisper to this officer before he returns for approx. 1min 40seconds.  It is not clear exactly what is being said between Hess and this other officer however parts that can be made out clearly demonstrate that he is giving a version of what happened.  At the inquest he was asked if the officer he was talking to could have been Officer Weston and he replied with “quite possibly it could have been him”.  Once again all of this contradicts the statements given by Hess and Weston that they had not spoken at all.

In summary, two years has passed since Jason was shot dead by Thomas Hess and still no justice has been seen.  Well may you have your text book protocol to cover up, distort, pollute, lie, manipulate and to pervert the course of justice but I am here to tell you that I will not be threatened, intimidated, abused, accused or silenced.  Your ignorance is something I anticipated long ago.  Not only your ignorance but your arrogance has proven that the police gang mentality is alive and rife in this state and you are the “first lawman” of this state.  I have all the video, audio, photographic and written evidence of Jason’s case and I will continue to share this with people on my blogsite.  I am currently making a documentary showing all the inconsistencies and differing accounts and I will air this documentary on the internet for the public to form their own opinion.  I was gagged from telling the truth, the media was gagged from printing the truth and the public were gagged from hearing the truth, however I will be gagged no longer.

 Yours Faithfully

Stephen Protheroe

Letter to Attorney General 23-3-14

23^rd March 2013

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice

Jarrod Bleijie

Level 18

State Law Building

50 Ann Street

Brisbane Qld 4000

Dear Mr Bleijie

I wrote to you on 1^st December 2013 and again on 14^th December 2013 (I have attached copies of these letters) and I am yet to receive any form of response from you with regard to either letter.  Since writing those letters we have received a response from the Ethical Standards Command with regard to the complaint of perjury that I made against Inspector Mark Reid the lead investigator in the case relating to the death of my son Jason Protheroe.  I have attached a copy of the letter that I sent the Crime and Misconduct Commission and the replies I have received from Queensland Police Service Ethical Standards branch and Crime and Misconduct Commission for your investigation. 

At no point did I lodge an official complaint against Snr Detective Sergeant Anthony Buxton, nor did I suggest that he did not pass on information to Inspector Mark Reid.  In fact I felt quite comfortable with the reassurance from Detective Anthony Buxton that he did in fact pass on all my questions and feedback to the boss aka lead Investigator Inspector Mark Reid.  The initial letter received from the Crime and Misconduct Commission stated that I would be contacted via Qld Police Investigating this matter and yet neither myself, my son Stuart or my son Stephen were contacted by anyone regarding this investigation, so how exactly did any investigation occur without even talking to the key players who were present for the conversation that I referred to in my letter.  The post hearing letters that I have received are a continual indictment of how I believe the case was run from day one.  I believe they are still continuing with their deliberate and damning lies. I believe they have continually perverted and polluted the case from the outset from Ian Leavers the Qld Police union President, Senior Constable Thomas Hess if not the murderer of my son, undisputedly the killer of my son, Troy Weston the partner of Thomas Hess, Inspector Mark Reid the lead investigator of the case and Constable Belinda Baker.  The Minister for Police Jack Dempsey stated on national television that my sons case would be open and transparent, yet Coroner Michael Barnes gagged the evidence of this case 5 days after the inquest concluded with the support of the Qld Government, Qld Police force, Ethical Standards, CMC and Police union to suppress the truth so that they could legally sweep my son’s death under a rug and protect their own police member aka gang member.  Open and Transparent in what way exactly?  In my mind this was no more than an attempt at the perversion of justice, if I’m wrong please explain, I eagerly await your reply as would any intelligent person reading this letter.

We have asked you several times to look at Jason’s case as a whole, look at all the inconsistencies and look at the evidence as a whole.  I continue to ask the question why should a Police Officer not face a jury of 12 independent people like any other lay person, especially when there is inconsistencies in the evidence including from the shooting officer’s own partner on the day.  As a family we will continue our fight for justice for Jason until the day that Thomas Hess faces a jury and we are given a verdict from independent people, after the evidence is tried and tested, after all the inconsistencies are probed and answers given as to why versions have changed over and over again by the Police.  Only then can we truly accept the fate of our son. 

On the afternoon of Jason’s killing Ian Leavers in his capacity of Qld Police Union President stated words to the effect that the reputation of these two detectives involved were beyond reproach.  Are you aware that in the short period Detective Thomas Hess, the killer if not murderer of my son has been with Qld Police Force approximately 5 years.  In this short time Detective Thomas Hess has 3 complaints of allegations against his name including 5^th March 2007 Police Officer may be supplying local drug suppliers with information identifying details relating to planned police raids in Karanda, Mareeba and Cairns district. 23^rd May 2011 officer drew firearm although not discharged and 28^th June 2011 forced confessions/threats to induce admissions/confessions/obtain incriminating evidence.

Are you also aware in the evidence that Thomas Hess started his own recording from the lanyard around his neck after the shooting occurred?  During this recording an officer came up to Hess and clearly asks did he have a gun? Thomas Hess replied yeh mate yeh.  Then he removed his lanyard/recording device and placed it down, you then hear him go off and whisper to this officer before he returns for approx. 1min 40seconds.  It is not clear exactly what is being said between Hess and this other officer however parts that can be made out clearly demonstrate that he is giving a version of what happened.  At the inquest he was asked if the officer he was talking to could have been Officer Weston and he replied with “quite possibly it could have been him”.  Once again all of this contradicts the statements given by Hess and Weston that they had not spoken at all.

Are you also aware that at the inquest Thomas Hess’ own barrister made a statement that Thomas Hess should be given a commendation for killing our son?  Given the facts and the evidence of this case I ask what sort of justice system we have here in Queensland.  Although I have only mentioned a couple of inconsistencies here, there are countless others, in fact I’m sure I could write a whole book about this case and the inconsistencies.

I ask you how three people directly witnessed the killing of my son and two out of the three including an independent eye witness Krystal Sinn and a Police officer Snr Detective Troy Weston firstly number one did not see a weapon in my son’s hands as he was being shot dead by Detective Thomas Hess although they both said they witnessed the shooting.  Secondly nor did they see Detective Thomas Hess remove the alleged weapon from Jason’s hands as he lay motionless on the ground.  Even though Snr Detective Weston was supposedly right there covering Jason as Hess removed the alleged weapon from Jason’s hands and threw it backwards onto the grass.  I believe Snr Detective Weston stated that he first saw the alleged gun in the grass after coming back into the rear of the yard after calling the ambulance.  I believe that in any other killing this alone would be cause for this case to be tried and tested by an independent jury of 12 people.

In summary, I believe because Qld Police Detective Thomas Hess shot and killed my son and he is the only person to state uncategorically that he saw the alleged weapon although the two eye witnesses did not see this alleged weapon at any time during the killing, I believe the only reason a jury trial was not held is because he is a Qld Police Officer.   No Police Officer is above the law.  From day one I have fought a hostile Qld Police Union, a hostile Qld Police Ethical Standards Unit, a hostile Qld Police Force, a hostile Crime and Misconduct Commission, a hostile Coroner, a hostile Government and a hostile Attorney General and yet these post killing correspondence clearly show what you’ve done throughout the whole case, you’ve ignored all of the evidence, you sit back and you’ve now decided to say absolutely nothing to me accept distort what I’ve been saying and then turn it around and tell us that everything is above board.  Well it’s not “above board”, I don’t accept it.  We’ve asked you to look at our case, what have you done?  We’re tired of this Police gang mentality, it’s got to stop.  Justice is there for everybody.  If the Qld Police are prepared to take the applause when solving high profile murder cases then they also better get prepared for the criticism when totally ignoring facts to protect their own members.  Whilst I would never compare police investigations or cases anyone who has lost a son through murder of any form knows the days faced through investigation and unanswered questions.  But when your son is killed by a member of the Qld Police Force it makes the struggle so much harder.  I only hope I can maintain the courage and dignity to get my resolve. So Mr Bleijie the first lawman of the state I ask you what have you done and are you going to investigate our son’s case or are you going to continue to ignore our correspondence in the hope that we might just disappear one day?

 Yours Faithfully

Stephen Protheroe

Attachments to Letter To Attorney General 23-3-14