An inquest has heard a crayfish farm employee borrowed a pump-action shotgun to hold on-site as a result of he "feared for his life".
The Coroners Court docket of Queensland on Monday reopened an inquest into the loss of life of Jeffrey Lawrence Brooks, who was shot by way of the chest in March 1996, whereas tending to crayfish ponds at a farm at Beenleigh on Brisbane's southern outskirts.
An inquest in 1998 returned an open discovering, however Mr Brooks' household has campaigned for the coroner to revisit the case after rejecting a police discovering of unintended loss of life, claiming he was murdered.
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The 24-year-old was discovered within the seat of a utility automobile with a single-barrel break-action shotgun beneath his physique.
"(On the authentic inquest) Jeffrey's father Lawrence outlined to the courtroom the household's concept that Hans (Geiger) had killed Jeffrey, with the cooperation of Regine (Geiger) and Graham (Lloyd), as a result of they believed he was a menace to the farm and their livelihoods," counsel aiding Sarah Lane instructed the inquest in Brisbane.
The three named individuals had been employed on the farm whereas Mr Brooks was growing a feasibility examine into the unprofitable crayfish operation.
Mr Brooks was required to make use of a firearm to scare off birds on the farm.
The coroner was instructed Mr Brooks was a extremely skilled firearms consumer and had instructed his spouse Nicole he wanted to borrow further shotguns as a result of "the firearm on the farm was unsafe and that he would have one thing to defend himself if he was threatened by Hans".
Ms Lane instructed the inquest Jeffrey Brooks' brother David stated he "had come to my dwelling fairly distressed, and requested if he might borrow my 12-gauge pump-action seven-shot shotgun. I requested why and Jeffrey stated he truthfully feared for his life."
Coroner Donald MacKenzie stated the inquest would hear a number of proof, together with testimony from 17 witnesses and a go to to the scene of Mr Brooks' loss of life.
Mr MacKenzie permitted an software from the Brooks household's solicitor to have the previous lead police investigator, Mike Condon, who's now an assistant commissioner, excluded from components of the listening to.
The solicitor stated it will have an effect on any cross-examination of Mr Condon about how he ran the investigation if he heard others testify.
The unique inquest discovered Mr Condon's investigation to be "competent and thorough".
Exterior the courtroom, Mr Brooks' dad and mom stated they had been relieved the inquest had been reopened.
"We're very excited to get so far. We now have tried for years to get so far. There have been stops and begins however we're lastly there," Wendy Brooks stated.
"(Jeffrey) was such an exquisite man and he deserves all the pieces we now have put in over the previous 26-and-a-half years.
"(His loss of life) has left an enormous gap in our lives... all we now have ever needed is fact and justice and we now have felt for a few years the reality has been suppressed."
Lawrence Brooks stated his firearms testing, which disputed the police findings, was backed up by 4 different specialists.
"Jeffrey was very protected with weapons," he stated.
The inquest continues.