In 1988, Scott Johnson, an American mathematician, was found lifeless at the base of a cliff in Manly, a locale known as a popular gay beat. His untimely death, initially ruled as suicide by the 1989 inquest, sparked a decades-long search for truth by his family, who suspected he was the victim of a hate crime due to his sexual orientation.
The Fight for Justice
Persistent campaigning by the Johnson family led to a second inquest in 2012, which resulted in an open finding and a recommendation for the police to reopen the case. In 2017, a third inquest concluded that the 27-year-old had indeed been violently attacked by someone who perceived him to be gay. Fast forward to 2020, Scott Phillip White was arrested in connection with the case, and pleaded guilty to manslaughter in February of this year.
A recent special commission of inquiry heard from Michael Willing, the former deputy NSW police commissioner and former head of the homicide squad. He acknowledged that there were divided opinions within the police about the circumstances of Johnson’s death, with some officers maintaining the suicide theory even after the third inquest. Notably, the inquiry heard of an unsettling desire from some officers to “defeat” Johnson’s family who were seen as pushing for a homicide investigation.
Unmasking Prejudices
Justice John Sackar’s counsel, Peter Gray, highlighted this potential bias by referencing a 2015 episode of ABC’s Lateline program. In the broadcast, former detective chief inspector Pamela Young stated that the Johnson family was using definitions of “gay-hate crimes” to suit their purpose and accused them of pressuring the former police minister, Michael Gallacher. Steve Johnson, Scott’s brother, countered this accusation, asserting that the police had spent more time looking for evidence of suicide than violence.
Police communications revealed Young’s intention to “defeat” the Johnson family with a finding of misadventure, suicide, or an open finding at the third inquest. Furthermore, she described the Johnson family as “opponents” of the police. Willing, distancing himself from these views, stated that while the relationship between the Johnson family and the police was adversarial, he didn’t consider defeating them an objective.
The inquiry continues to shed light on the potential bias and prejudices within the law enforcement’s handling of the case, underscoring the importance of impartiality in investigations, especially those potentially involving hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community.