Father reveals frustration with AFP investigation into daughter Elly Warren’s chilling death in Mozambique

A Melbourne dad whose daughter was found dead in Mozambique has rejoiced at a coroner’s call for a full investigation into her death.

Elly Warren died in suspicious circumstances in Mozambique in 2016. Picture: Aaron Francis/The Australian

The grieving father of a young Melbourne woman who died in mysterious circumstances in Mozambique has welcomed a coroner’s call for a full, thorough investigation into his daughter’s death.

Paul Warren said Victorian coroner Darren Bracken grilled Australian Federal Police at an inquest directions hearing about the status of its joint investigation with Mozambique authorities, four years after Elly Warren died, and demanded it step it up.

When counsel for the AFP, Andrew Yuile, said it was feared a joint investigation at this stage would be detrimental to the inquest, Mr Bracken shot down the idea, saying it would actually aid his search for truth, Mr Warren said on Tuesday night.

Melbourne woman Elly Warren was found dead in suspicious circumstances in Mozambique in 2016. Picture: Supplied

“It’s amazing. The whole family is delighted because the coroner has basically said he wants the AFP to go in, with a joint investigation with the Mozambique government and find out exactly what it knows and what happened, because the court requires that information … this is what we’ve been wanting all this time,” Mr Warren said.

Elly, 20, was found face down in the sand, behind a toilet block, with her underpants around her knees, in the small beach town of Tofo in the early hours of November 9, 2016.

Her family has doggedly sought answers, with Mr Warren even travelling to Africa to personally investigate after becoming frustrated by what he perceived as a lack of interest and action by the AFP and a botched investigation by local authorities.

Mr Warren told the Herald Sun he believed information was still being withheld by the AFP.

“There’s 2000 pages from the AFP that they still haven’t produced to the (Coroners) court,” Mr Warren claimed.

He also questioned why a police investigation action sheet into Elly’s death had ended in November 2018.

“There’s a lot of information which has been gathered over four years, not just two years, so why does it end in 2018? I think they (the AFP) just haven’t done their job well enough.”

Paul Warren has never given up hope of finding justice after his daughter Elly Warren’s possible murder in Africa. Picture: Supplied

Mr Warren said he believed the fact his family were “just lay people”, and not rich or powerful, was part of the reason the AFP investigation into Elly’s death languished.

He told Mr Bracken he hoped something positive would come out of the inquest; namely, more support for families whose loved ones died in mysterious or suspicious circumstances overseas.

“Your Honour has the privilege to suggest recommendations which could set the course for future change that would be in the best interest of all Australians,” Mr Warren said.

“There is no doubt in my mind if our policing agency were on the ground early in Elly’s investigation things would be different today.”

Elly, an aspiring marine biologist, was volunteering with a marine conservation project when she died. Multiple forensic investigations showed she died from asphyxiation after choking on sand, with bruising on her mouth and abrasions on her neck.

Mr Yuile said Australian police wrote to the Mozambique police force in December asking that material from its investigation be handed over for the inquest.

Paul Warren in Tofo, Mozambique, where he offered a reward for information about his 20-year-old daughter Elly’s death.

But it had received only an acknowledgment of the letter; none of the requested material, including recorded interviews, crime scene photos and police theories.

“In this process we are in the hands of the Mozambique authorities,” Mr Yuile said.

The AFP also successfully blocked some information it planned to use in the inquest from being made public, with Mr Yuile telling the court that if publicly shared, it could damage Australia’s relationship with the southern African country. The coroner agreed to keep it hidden.

Mr Yuile had told him there was a “bigger picture”, with Australia needing to maintain positive relationships with other countries, including Mozambique, to fight “transnational crime”.

A date for the inquest is yet to be set.

INFORMATION BLOCKED

On Tuesday at a directions hearing to set a date for the inquest the AFP successfully blocked information about the police investigation into Ms Warren’s death from being made public.

Mr Yuile told the court this was so Australia’s relationship with the southern African country would not be damaged.

The AFP asked the coroner to allow some of its evidence to be redacted on three public interest immunity grounds.

The coroner agreed to keep it hidden, saying the redacted material “may cause damage” if it became public knowledge.

Paul Warren said he has had to investigate his daughter’s death himself after Australian authorities failed to investigate in another country. Picture: David Caird

Mr Yuile had told him there was a “bigger picture” in that Australia needed to maintain positive relationships with other countries, including Mozambique, to fight “transnational crime”.

“Australia necessarily relies on its relationships with other countries to complete that work,” he said.

“If relationships like this break down, that can filter out to agencies in other countries.

“Countries do observe what happens in these situations.”

He also said some information from confidential sources and shared by other government agencies should be redacted so information would continue to be shared with the AFP in future investigations.

Melbourne woman Elly Warren, 20, was volunteering in Tofo, Mozambique in 2016 when she was found dead.

Mr Yuile said some redacted information could “prejudice” the continuing investigation into Ms Warren’s death, which is being undertaken by Mozambique authorities.

The AFP wrote to the Mozambique police force in December asking that material from their investigation into Ms Warren’s death be handed over for the inquest, Mr Yuile said.

But it had only received an acknowledgment of the letter without any of the requested material, including recorded interviews, photos of the crime scene, and police theories.

“In this process we are in the hands of the Mozambique authorities,” he said.

A date for the inquest is yet to be set.

When asked about Mr Warren’s criticisms the AFP issued a statement.

“As the matter is before the Victorian Coroner, it is not appropriate for the AFP to comment at this time,” a spokesman said.

Originally published as Father reveals frustration with AFP investigation into daughter Elly Warren’s chilling death in Mozambique