Coroner orders public hearing in Simon Gaskill probe

The first public hearing into the death of Simon Gaskill is set for next week.

Simon Gaskill.

Victoria’s Coroners Court has called a public hearing into the ‘body in the dunes’ mystery as a third investigation into the tragedy gets underway.

Coroner Ingrid Giles has announced a hearing will be held next Friday at which police will update the court on progress in the investigation into the death of Simon Gaskill at Ocean Grove beach two years ago.

“Her Honour is holding the hearing to discuss the status of the investigation into the death of Mr Gaskill,” a court spokesperson said.

“As this is an active investigation, no further comment can be made.”

The August 30 hearing will be the first public airing of details of the investigation into the death of the 51-year-old homeless man whose remains were found in the dunes at Ocean Grove beach on April 15, 2022.

Three months after the body was discovered by a holidaying teenager, the coroners court determined the cause of death was “unascertained” and closed the case.

Within weeks of The Australian publishing a magazine cover story on the tragedy in April 2023, the coroner took the rare step of reopening the investigation and police were assigned to conduct the second inquiry.

But police and the coroner launched a third investigation into the ‘body in the dunes’ mystery earlier this month after the Gaskill family discovered the detective appointed to lead the second inquiry was involved in the initial botched probe.

The Australian can reveal a non-local detective is leading to what amounts to a third inquiry that will probe both the original investigation and the reinvestigation into the death Simon Gaskill who had pitched a tent and was living in the sand dunes on the Bellarine ­Peninsula.