Dimitrious Gargasoulas’ girlfriend warned of massacre: Bourke St inquest
Haunting audio of Akiir Muo’s horrified reaction to the Bourke St tragedy has been played at an inquest into the massacre, with Dimitrious Gargasoulas’ then-girlfriend heard sobbing in the distressing recording.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The girlfriend of James Gargasoulas moaned and cried loudly “oh my god, oh my god, why” when she was first learned of the Bourke St massacre, which she claims she warned police was going to happen.
The haunting audio was played on Tuesday morning at the inquest into the tragedy.
Akiir Muo, then 26, was held captive by Gargasoulas as he evaded police in a stolen car on January 20, 2017.
She claims she warned officers he was going to go into the city and “run everyone down” after she was let out of the car about two hours before he mowed down pedestrians, killing six people.
Police say they only learned of the threats after 2pm when the attack had already taken place.
Despite being held at St Kilda police station for hours, it wasn’t until about 7pm that night she learned what he had done.
Sergeant Lachlan Watson asked Ms Muo if she knew what had happened and she told him she was aware he had stabbed his brother.
“I know what he’s done, he just stabbed his brother,” she said.
They were in a McDonald’s carpark at the time as he was driving her home after lengthy interviews.
“I’m sure you know by now what he has done,” he said. When she told him no, he asked: “So you don’t know about the second part...what he did after?”
Ms Muo told him she didn’t, and asked if “Jimmy” had been arrested and “how long he would get”.
“It’s going to be a very long time,” the officer told her. “Really? Alright, well then we’re going to have a conversation and I’ll have to tell you what he’s done because it’s pretty serious. I wasn’t sure if you knew or not, I thought you did. He did exactly what he told you.”
Ms Muo said “he ran …” and Sgt Watson finished her sentence with: “He ran people over.”
Ms Muo: “Did he?”
“There is three or four people dead … and another one close to dead, I understand,” he said.
Ms Muo then moaned loudly and starts to sob.
“Oh my god, why, oh my god, oh god. Why oh my god, were they adults or kids or what…. Were they adults that he ran over, or just were kids? Oh, god.”
Sgt Watson paused and she gasped and said: “Oh god.”
She cried loudly as the horror of the tragedy — which by that time was being reported around the world — was relayed to her.
He tried to calm her down and said he thought she had “a fair idea what happened”.
“No, I haven’t been told anything,” she replied.
Sgt Watson told the inquest he was of no doubt Muo sincerely did not know what Gargasoulas did after dumping her on the road.
“I have no doubt she was hearing it for the first time. You can hear it, it’s excruciating.”
Ms Muo was called as a witness but has not been able to be located by police.
Her interviews are being played to the coronial inquest today, with many of the victims’ families listening from the public gallery.
The court was told by Counsel Assisting Stephen O’Meara QC the contents could be upsetting and “triggering” for many people.
MORE NEWS
COPS LEFT GARGASOULAS’ GIRLFRIEND AFTER ABDUCTION
POLICE FEARED BEING FIRED IF THEY RAMMED GARGASOULAS' CAR
CORONER’S ‘AWKWARD’ APOLOGY TO BOURKE ST VICTIMS
Ms Muo told Sgt Watson in an earlier interview that Gargasoulas said he would “run everyone down in the city” if he was caught and had boasted about being able to evade police.
“I can get away from them, I know I can,” he said.
He also told his girlfriend he would kill her, himself, and his mother after she pleaded with him to hand himself in after the near-fatal stabbing of his brother in the Melbourne suburb of Windsor.
Three Critical Incident Response Team memebrs have told the inquest she never said anything about the CBD death threats. She was formally interviewed at 2.10pm that afternoon, about 40 minutes after the attack and she told police of the threats at about 2.40pm.
The interview was concluded so it could be videotaped given what had just occurred in the CBD.
andrew.koubaridis@news.com.au