Coroner unable to determine how Matthew Leveson died
MICHAEL Atkins admitted burying his lover Matt Leveson’s body in a bush grave, yet despite a barrage of lies, the deputy state coroner today ruled she had no option than to hand down an open finding into the 21-year-old’s lonely death.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
MARTIAL arts expert Michael Atkins has got off scot-free after the death of his young lover Matt Leveson in 2007.
In extraordinary scenes this morning, the coroner’s court remained stunned with everyone remaining standing after deputy state coroner Elaine Truscott said she had no option than to hand down an open finding.
Matt’s parents, Mark and Faye Leveson, who the inquest was told believe Atkins murdered their son, were emotional as the coroner said it had been her privilege to “be Matt’s coroner”.
Ms Truscott recommended Mr and Mrs Leveson receive an official commendation from the police for the assistance they had given, never resting in their fight for justice.
MORE: Matt Leveson’s parents slam son’s ‘cold’ ex-lover Michael Atkins
MORE: Lover Michael Atkins described by coroner as ‘not credible’
Atkins, who was acquitted of 21-year-old Matt’s murder in 2009, earlier this year led police to the spot in the Royal National Park south of Sydney where he buried the young man’s body.
The disclosure followed a unique series of legal agreements that he would not be prosecuted for lying to the inquest if he revealed where the body was.
Matt was last seen alive leaving Darlinghurst’s ARQ nightclub with Atkins in the early hours of the morning of September 23, 2007.
Part of Atkins’ defence at his trial was that Matt could still be alive. He had denied through his lawyer at the trial that Matt could have died of an overdose.
He told police this year in a statement that he had buried Matt after Matt died of an accidental drug overdose.
“The lies that Mr Atkins told during the course of his evidence to the inquest as with other lies he had told to a range of people including the police since Matt’s disappearance give rise to a considerable degree of suspicion that Mr Atkins had some connection with Matt’s
death apart from the fact that he buried Matt’s body,” Ms Truscott said in her findings.
“However it does not follow from that degree of suspicion that I can find that Mr Atkins was involved in any acts which were causative of Matt’s death.”
Atkins had been caught on CCTV buying a mattock and duct tape later on the day when Matt died despite initially claiming he had not left the Cronulla unit where the couple lived.
Atkins has since sold his Brisbane unit during the inquest and gone into hiding. He did not attend court today.
The coroner said that the “entirety” of Atkins’ different versions of what happened on September 23 to family, friends, the police and to the inquest, “were obviously lies”.
He had told the inquest that he loved Matt “the most I’ve ever loved anybody” but that afternoon at 1.50pm and 2.30pm, he was texting at least two young men looking for a date.
At 4pm he used Matt’s laptop to visit the Mardi Gras website looking for tickets for the Sleaze Ball and then went on the gay dating website Manhunt, Ms Truscott said.
At the inquest, Atkins said he did not remember using the laptop or texting.
After the findings were handed down, Matthew Leveson’s parents said they wished they could see justice served for their son but they have the main thing they wanted from an inquest into his 2007 death: to bring him home.
“There’s some relief, there’s some frustration, there’s some anger, so there’s lots of emotions going through us but relief’s one of the ones right now,” Mr Leveson told reporters outside Glebe Coroners Court.
“Our son was the most precious thing to us and to his brothers, why would we worry about Atkins,” Faye Leveson said.
“We would have loved both but we were forced in this corner, and Matty comes first every time.”.