Cessnock tip death: Friends, associates of Shane Mears and Adam Bidner probed by police`
Father-of-seven Shane Mears died while fossicking for scrap metal at Cessnock tip after he was allegedly hit and killed by a four-wheel-drive driven by another collector. Now police are searching for answers from the wider scavenging network.
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Detectives investigating the bizarre Cessnock tip death of Shane Mears are interviewing a widening number of friends and associates of both him, and the man alleged to have hit and killed him with a four-wheel drive.
Mr Mears, 54, suffered horrific injuries and died at the scene after he was allegedly run over by another scrap metal collector Adam Andrew Bidner as they searched through an area of the tip late on the Sunday afternoon.
Strike Force Nargal investigators allege Bidner struck Mr Mears with his Toyota Landcruiser before escaping through a hole in a boundary fence of the waste management facility.
Detectives allege Bidner struck Mr Mears, a father-of-seven, with his Toyota Landcruiser before escaping through a hole in a boundary fence of the waste management facility.
His four-wheel drive has been seized for forensic examination.
Bidner, 30, was arrested three days after the incident and charged with a range of offences, including dangerous driving occasioning death, negligent driving occasioning death and failing to stop and assist after vehicle impact causing death.
Strike Force Nargal detectives are now delving into the past of both men.
The development also comes as questions arise regarding the activity of so-called tip scavengers, a group of mainly men who would enter the facility after hours to scrounge through scrap metal and other discarded items looking for anything of value.
On the day of his death, Mr Mears had entered the tip with a mate through a hole in a fence as the tip was closing.
The pair separated to increase their chances of finding anything valuable. It was when Mr Mears’ friend returned to a huge pile of scrap metal that he found his critically-injured friend.
Locals say the vast expanse of bushland behind the waste management facility – together with a long perimeter fence – has long been used by people keen to enter the tip without being seen.
“There is a whole network of roads and tracks at the back of the tip that those locals in the know can use to get around without even hitting a piece of tar,’’ one Cessnock resident said.
“People have been getting into the tip for ages without any drama at all, usually at night.
“No one ever stopped them. They had free reign.’’
Bidner lived in Aberdare, a suburb of Cessnock which backs onto bushland behind the tip.
Cessnock City Council has declined to answer questions about why the waste management facility had remained accessible for people entering after hours, who would detour the locked front gate to enter through several holes in boundary fences.
In a statement released a day after Mr Mears’ death, the council said it was assisting the investigation and the matter was for police.
However, it didn’t respond to a series of questions regarding the issue of people making their way onto the tip’s grounds or the extent of the problem.
Mr Mears’ death has devastated his wide circle of family and friends.
The New Zealander had moved to Australia more than 30 years ago and had seven children, several of whom are mourning his loss in New Zealand.
He was due to turn 55 on Friday.