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Dezi Freeman: The Hunt | Ep 4 | My beautiful boy

5/11/202626 min

In a case as high-profile as Dezi Freeman’s, the manhunt, his sovereign citizen beliefs, and the conspiracy theories surrounding his life (and death) have often overshadowed the human toll left behind.

In this episode, 7NEWS journalist Michael Usher and Crime Editor Cassie Zervos shift the focus to the two Victoria Police officers killed by Freeman: Detective Leading Senior Constable Neil Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart. They explore who these men were, the lives they lived, and the lasting impact of their deaths.

Cassie also speaks with Victorian Police Association CEO Wayne Gatt about how the force coped with the grief and trauma of losing two of their own while carrying out one of the largest manhunts in Victorian history.

Dezi Freeman: The Hunt is a 7NEWS and LiSTNR co-production.

Listen to the podcast on Secrets We Keep or watch the vodcast on 7Plus.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clips

Respect For Police Has Eroded
Policing In The Dark
Grief On The Front Line
After The Manhunt Ends
The Survivor’s Burden
Finding Words In Shock

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Cassie Zervos· Host0:00

    [instrumental music] A ListenUp production.

  2. Michael Usher· Host0:04

    We've spent four episodes talking about Deszie Freeman, what he did, why he did it, how he was caught. But in this episode, we'd like to shift focus.

  3. Cassie Zervos· Host0:16

    [instrumental music] We want to talk about the men who were lost. Detective Leading Senior Constable Neil Thompson, Senior Constable Vadim Devat, two Victoria police officers who drove to a property in Poorpunkah on a cold August morning in 2025. Those men, they never came home.

  4. Michael Usher· Host0:40

    In the months since, their families and friends have quietly carried a grief that most of us just simply cannot imagine. In this episode, we wanna learn about what Neil and Vadim were like, what they meant to the people who really loved them, and what Freeman's death means now for those left behind. I'm Michael Usher, journalist and 7 News presenter.

  5. Cassie Zervos· Host1:02

    I'm Cassie Zervos.

  6. Michael Usher· Host1:04

    This is Deszie Freeman: The Hunt, episode four, My Beautiful Boy.

  7. Unknown speaker1:10

    [instrumental music]

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