Five years on since Leeding murder bar manager breaks silence

AS soon as Kelly McLaren saw Damian Leeding bleeding to death with a bullet wedged between his eyes, laying lifeless on the pavement out the front of her tavern, she instantly blamed herself.

Kelly McLaren, who was manager of the Pacific Pines Tavern during the Damien Leeding shooting, poses for a portrait in front of the Tavern, Pacific Pines, Gold Coast. Photo: Regi Varghese

AS soon as Kelly McLaren saw shot detective Damian Leeding bleeding to death on the footpath in front of her Gold Coast pub, she instantly blamed herself.

The 37-year-old former manager of the Pacific Pines Tavern has suffered unimaginable guilt for five years following the cold-blooded murder of the policeman on May 29, 2011, blaming herself for ‘procrastinating’ when armed robbers held up the tavern.

“I dropped keys, I took a long time on purpose to open the safe,” she said.

Detective Senior Constable Damian Leeding was shot in the face during an armed robbery at Pacific Pines in 2011.

“They should’ve been out within 90 seconds and they were there for 20 minutes. Maybe if I had given them what they wanted they would never have crossed paths with Damian.”

Tomorrow marks five years since the tragic scene unfolded on Hotham Drive.

Ms McLaren, now based in Mt Gravatt, says she remembers the evening like a memory from a nightmare.

It was a fun Sunday session. Seven staff were rolling out food and pints to their regular customers but it took a harrowing turn late at night when the tavern was closing.

Three masked people stormed the bar and held the staff hostage, tying up Ms McLaren and holding her at gunpoint while demanding money from the safe. She obliged slowly, they then forced everyone into a back room where staff managed to raise the alarm with a team of police officers soon waiting out the front.

Kelly McLaren, who was manager of the Pacific Pines Tavern during the Damien Leeding shooting, poses for a portrait in front of the Tavern, Pacific Pines, Gold Coast. Photo: Regi Varghese

“I remember the guy saying, ‘If police are out the front, I will shoot you all’,” Ms McLaren said.

“I was OK. It didn’t click at the time because I was the manager and my staff’s safety was my priority.

“I had a young woman who was petrified and I remember saying to her, ‘It won’t come to it but if he starts shooting, I’ll get you out of here.’”

The trio fled before Ms McLaren heard three gunshots from the front of the building.

‘No,’ she remembered thinking. “We ran out the front and there was a police officer on the ground with his partner sitting holding him,” she said.

“We all went through a gruelling process.

“You could see the officers were in a total state of shock but they tried so hard to carry on with their job.

“I helped carry Damian into the ambulance after they performed CPR. He wasn’t saying anything, he was just, he was lifeless.”

Phillip Graeme Abell, convicted of killing police officer Damian Leeding.

Mr Leeding was shot with a shortened pump-action shotgun.

Phillip Graeme Abell, 41, was sentenced to life in jail in 2013 with a non-parole period of 20 years for his murder.

Ms McLaren was made aware of Leeding’s death three days later.

Ms McLaren, who has built a relationship with Mr Leeding’s mother, Julie Waters, only recently found the pink and white striped shirt she was wearing the night of the murder and said she would burn it tomorrow for the five-year anniversary.