Slain cop Brett Forte’s family unable to ‘grieve properly’

The family of murdered police officer Brett Forte say delays in the coronial process have left them unable to grieve properly.

The family of murdered police officer Brett Forte say delays in the coronial process have left them unable to grieve properly, with a hearing that began 18 months ago still not finalised.

The coronial inquest into the murder of Senior Constable Brett Forte and the death of crazed gunman Ricky Maddison began in April 2021 and sat again in November 2021.

At the last sitting date, Brett’s widow Susie – also a police officer – was prevented from reading aloud a victim impact statement to the court.

Her original statement remains subject to a non-publication order and she has been invited to write a new, less critical “family impact statement”.

“It’s like we are ageing waiting for these things to get done,” Brett’s brother Luke told The Courier-Mail.

Senior Constable Brett Forte with wife and fellow police officer Susan Forte. Picture: Facebook

“I see other inquests and how fast they’ve travelled through. But there’s been so many stops with this one.

“I thought it would have been done by now so our family can start to grieve properly. This is not getting any easier. In fact, every day this drags on just gets harder.”

Brett, a father of three, was gunned down by fugitive Maddison on May 29, 2017, after being led into an ambush on Wallers Rd in the Lockyer Valley.

Maddison was later killed by elite Special Emergency Response Team officers following a 20-hour siege in which he repeatedly fired on police and the police helicopter.

The inquest is examining the interactions between police and Maddison in the lead up to the murder and the circumstances that led to Brett coming into contact with Maddison on the day he was killed.

That includes previous attempts to find Maddison, who had been at large following a domestic violence incident, as well as decisions made around the pursuit of Maddison out of Toowoomba and down Wallers Rd.

The coroner is also examining the police response following the shooting and the adequacy of the investigation conducted by the Ethical Standards Command.

Senior Constable Brett Forte.

Lastly, the coroner is considering whether any changes to procedures or policies could reduce the likelihood of such a death occurring again.

It is understood final submissions were overdue for some parties involved in the Forte inquest.

Both Susie and Brett’s police partner, Senior Constable Cath Nielsen, have said they were mistreated and lied to for asking questions about whether his death could have been prevented.

The inquest has explored whether Brett’s colleagues were aware of reports of an automatic machine gun being fired in the vicinity of Wallers Rd before his murder and whether concerns could have been raised when Maddison led police down that same road.

Luke said finalising the inquest could only help keep police safer in the future.

“A police officer could be shot tomorrow because they’re not wearing the right vest, or the computer program does not work effectively, or information has not been passed on effectively.

“It’s been five years and zero has been done. In Brett’s case, we’ve learnt a lot but done nothing. There’s been zero action.

“You never, ever want this to happen again.”

Susie Forte’s solicitor Dave Garratt, of Howden Saggers Lawyers, said he was unable to comment.

A spokesperson for the Coroners Court of Queensland said it was anticipated findings would be completed by mid-November.

“The Coroners Court of Queensland expects to receive submissions by 12 September, 2022 from all those granted leave to appear at the inquest,” the spokesperson said.

“The family and counsel assisting them have an opportunity to respond to those submissions by 26 September 2022.”