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Police told courts that father could kill Luke Batty and his mother - report | Police told courts that father could kill Luke Batty and his mother - report |
(7 months later) | |
The Victorian man who killed his son at cricket training was granted bail, despite police fears he could murder his family, it has been reported. | |
A Frankston magistrate was told police feared Gregory Anderson was capable of carrying out the threats he made to kill his family, the Herald Sun reported. | |
But the magistrate granted Anderson bail in June last year. | |
On Wednesday he killed his 11-year-old son Luke Batty during cricket training on an oval at Tyabb. | |
Last year, police opposed Anderson getting bail after one officer told a magistrate he was capable of killing his family. | |
“Genuine concerns are held by police as the accused appears more than capable of carrying out the threats to kill,” the officer reportedly said. | |
“The accused’s pattern of behaviour appears to be becoming more erratic and aggressive.” | |
Another bail hearing was told: “The victim [Ms Batty] in this matter is extremely concerned for the welfare of her son, Luke,” the paper said. | |
The latest revelations came as police admitted Anderson should have been taken into custody in January, but an IT system failure meant officers didn’t realise he was a wanted man. | |
Anderson had five outstanding warrants when he killed Luke, before being shot dead by police. | |
Chief Commissioner Ken Lay said Anderson had been questioned by police on January 27 about several assaults, but there was a two-week lag time for such information to appear on the computer system. | |
“If police [had] gone to that address a day later, those warrants would have been visible,” Mr Lay told reporters on Friday. | |
The state’s Law Enforcement Assistance Program database had been criticised for at least 15 years, though little progress had been made in fixing it. | |
Luke’s mother Rosie Batty visited the scene of the horrific murder on Friday, reading the many tributes left to him. | |
She thanked the public for their support and was not angry with police, saying they could only do so much. | |
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