Homicide Squad detective takes over inquiry into death of Simon Gaskill

A new probe by the homicide squad into the death of a man in dunes behind a popular Bellarine beach will focus on a laptop and phone records, a court has heard.

An undated picture of Simon Gaskill as an older man. Simon's body was found in the dunes on 15 April, 2022, at Ocean Grove, Victoria.

A new probe by the homicide squad into the death of a man in dunes behind a popular Bellarine beach will focus on a laptop and phone records, a court has heard.

But a hearing on Friday morning, called by Coroner Ingrid Giles after the case changed hands more than once in recent weeks, heard the death of Simon Gaskill was not being treated as suspicious.

Mr Gaskill was found in the dunes behind Ocean Grove beach on Good Friday in 2022.

Detective Acting-Sergeant Leigh Smyth said the latest investigation - the third probe into the case - would be going back “to the start” and re-examining the evidence in the case from scratch.

The appointment of the homicide squad came just weeks after another detective took over the case, prompting Coroner Giles to ask Detective Smyth if the appointment of a homicide squad had “any significance”, to which the detective said there was not.

“The reason for the transfer to the homicide squad was basically the expertise of our squad in death investigations,” Detective Smyth said, adding there was “no evidence” of suspicious circumstances.

He also said the appointment added further independence from a “regional level”.

When Mr Gaskill was found, he had already been dead “for some time” and his body was in an advanced state of decomposition.

Photos from the family album, Simon Gaskill with family and friends. Simon's body was found in the dunes on 15 April, 2022, at Ocean Grove VIC, and the Police did not investigate. Photo: Supplied

Coroner Jacqui Hawkins had closed the case without inquest in July 2022, after an autopsy was unable to ascertain the cause of death.

Mr Gaskill’s sister, Amanda, lobbied for the investigation to be reopened and in May 2023 it was, after Coroner Hawkins accepted there were new facts and a coronial investigator was appointed.

A coronial investigator is a police officer nominated by the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police to conduct further investigation on behalf of the coroner.

Initially, this was Detective Senior Constable Mitchell Hardisty, of Geelong Criminal Investigation Unit (CIU).

In October 2023, the case was transferred to Coroner Giles, and the same month Detective Hardisty submitted his initial brief.

Coroner Giles asked for, and was provided, more information including bodycam footage of an interaction between Mr Gaskill and police in February 2022 and further medical records relating to Mr Gaskill’s admission to Geelong hospital in December 2021.

In July this year, Ms Gaskill wrote to the court with concerns about the police investigation, prompting a new investigator to be appointed.

The court heard Detective Sergeant Adam Tink, from Ballarat’s Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team (SOCIT) was earlier this month to appointed review the case.

Detective Tink identified “a number of additional lines of inquiry”, the court heard.

However, the investigation changed hands again last week, with Detective Smyth’s appointment.

Detective Smyth told the court a “whole new brief” would be compiled by the Homicide Squad.

The court heard a laptop was set to be examined for the first time and phone records would be looked at again, in order to pin down Mr Gaskill’s movements in the months leading up to his death and establish a timeline.

“I don’t believe a lot of people in the phone records have been spoken to,” Detective Smyth said.

Detective Smyth will hand up the new coronial brief by November 1.

Originally published as Homicide Squad detective takes over inquiry into death of Simon Gaskill