Family of Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson to sue police after hero cop shot by Dezi Freeman

The sisters of one of the officers shot by Dezi Freeman say they plan to sue the force, with Victorian Police defending the support given to the victims’ families.

Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart were killed by Freeman when they were part of a team which executed a search warrant at the sovereign citizen’s Porepunkah property in August.

Freeman remained on the run before he was gunned down in a stand-off with police at Thologolong last week.

Constable Thompson’s sisters Dianne Thompson and Lois Kirk told the Herald Sun on Sunday that they planned to sue police, with their lawyer questioning why specialist tactical units were not used to raid the sovereign citizen’s property.

Ten officers went to the property to serve a warrant on Freeman.

A third officer was also wounded in a shootout with Freeman.

The murder of the two officers will be the subject of a coronial inquest.

In a letter sent to Chief Commissioner Mike Bush last year, his sisters also expressed disappointment with how they had been treated by police, saying they felt like they had been ignored.

In a statement, Victorian police said that they acknowledged “some issues” raised by Constable Neal’s sisters and said they had appointed liaison officers to support them.

“Victoria Police acknowledges that the past seven months have been an incredibly difficult time following the incident in Porepunkah, particularly the families of the two police officers killed,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said.

“We have been in contact with the families since the incident occurred and have taken every step to ensure they are kept up to date and that support services are in place for them.

“The Chief Commissioner has spoken directly a number of times to Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson’s partner, the parents of Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, and the officer seriously injured during the incident on 26 August, 2025.

“However, we also acknowledge some issues raised by the sisters of Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and police have met with them directly as a result of a letter they sent to the Chief Commissioner.

“We are continuing to speak with them and they have appointed police liaison officers, both from the Homicide Squad and the local area.

“This is to ensure they are updated on the investigation and to also provide further support with regards to their welfare and events such as memorials.

“While every effort is made to provide timely updates to all families involved, we are always conscious of the need to manage ongoing investigations.”

The sisters raised several issues including that they were told of their brother’s murder over the phone, rather than in person, and that they felt ignored at his funeral and memorial service.

“Again, we acknowledge that this remains an exceptionally difficult time for all the families involved and we will continue to speak with them and address any ongoing concerns they have,” A Victoria Police spokesperson said.

“It would not be appropriate to provide specifics of those discussions.”