Australian Federal Police and NSW Police are investigating the mysterious death of an Australian Protective Service (APS) whistleblower, Gary Lee-Rogers, who claimed four months before he died that a police officer had pushed a pistol into his mouth.
Mr Lee-Rogers was found dead in his Queanbeyan flat on October 1, five days after claiming to his landlady that federal police had beaten him up.
According to documents obtained by the Herald, he had been in fear of his life for some time.
In a May 18 email, he complained of serious harassment. "My case will call the Prime Minister and other high-profile people to answer. I am in fear of my life and make it known through the WBA [Whistleblowers Australia] if I suicide that there is someone behind my demise.
"I have already had a gun placed in my mouth and WBA should know it was [name given] of the ACT police who did it. Make it known he is a corrupt police officer acting under instructions ... I am expecting an accident at any time."
A coroner's inquest has been ordered into his death.
Dr Jean Lennane, national president of WBA, said her organisation was calling for proper protocols for situations where people suspected of foul play were within the very organisations doing the investigation.
Michael Kennedy, a former NSW police officer turned academic, said it was apparent that already certain protocols had been breached. There had been shortcomings in communication.
"People are standing on ceremony saying they don't know if it has been breached," he said. "But the political nature of this required everyone to be told."
The head of the homicide squad, Detective Superintendent Nick Kaldas, said the squad was aware of the case but at present the investigation was being handled by Queanbeyan detectives, who were doing it well.
"Everything hangs on the cause of death being determined," he said. "If it is found that he was murdered, the investigation will be conducted to the nth degree."
Beryl Janz, national media officer for the federal police, confirmed yesterday that there was an internal inquiry into the assault alleged by Mr Lee-Rogers.
Mr Lee-Rogers, who had been acting assistant inspector for the APS, claimed to have become mired in bureaucratic harassment for reporting another officer for assault. In January 2000 he broadened his complaints to include more general claims of corruption and maladministration.
He said that when no action was taken, he had threatened to take the matters to the Attorney-General's Department. On April 4, 2000, he was arrested and charged with a series of offences he claimed were bogus.
He claimed that after that, the harassment increased, and included police officers driving past his home and pointing pistols in his direction. He found that without his knowledge, he had been subscribed to 400 internet pornography sites.
He complained to the Ombudsman and as a result got a trial date for November 4 this year. "I am in fear of my life and know I will die 'accidentally' of 'my own hand' within the next few months."
