Two days before a child rapist was shot and killed by police in Sydney, hardened detectives set up a WhatsApp messaging group to plan his capture.
Nick Newman, 33, who was shot dead in a pub beer garden after stabbing a cop, was writing his will moments before he was killed, an inquest has heard.
Newman was killed in a standoff with police during Australia Day celebrations at the Maroubra Junction Hotel in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on January, 26, 2018.
On January 24, officers hunting Newman set up a WhatsApp messaging group called SEAL Team, a reference to the elite US military squad sent after Osama bin Laden.
Nick Newman,33, (pictured) was killed in a stand off with police at the Maroubra Junction Hotel in 2018
‘SHOOT assemble,’ one officer said on the group chat, referring to the acronym Serious High-risk Outstanding Offender Team.
‘Apparently access to guns … he will probably be strapped I reckon, bet he is wanting to kill his [alleged victim] and himself,’ one detective wrote.
Another said Newman had ‘bulk access to pistolas’.
Officers went pub to arrest the military weapons-obsessed martial artist on child sex charges after receiving a report from a girl and her mother five days earlier.
The police fired after Newman knifed Detective Sergeant John Breda, 47, leaving the officer lying on the floor fighting for life as blood drained from his body.
New details about Newman’s last days emerged at the NSW Coroners Court on Monday during an inquest into the pedophile’s death, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
In his opening statement, counsel assisting Jane Needham SC, revealed Newman bombarded the child with 80 to 90 calls and later told a friend he needed to ‘hunt her down’.
Officers advised the girl and her mother to stay at a location unknown to Newman as they secured an arrest warrant and probed his access to weapons.
One of Newman’s friends, a former Australian Federal Police officer, tipped off detectives that he was meeting him at the pub on January 26, with officers deciding to storm the pub at just after 3pm.
As they covertly entered the building, the child sex offender was writing his will and last testament as he had a beer with friends.
Detective Sergeant John Breda (pictured, right) was stabbed during the arrest and left fighting for life
Detectives shouted’ police, get on the ground’ as they streamed into the beer garden, prompting Newman to jump up and cry ‘oh, f***’.
Detective Sergeant Breda had strategised to grab the sex offender from behind in a bear hug to prevent him fighting back, but the plan went wrong when Newman shrugged free from his grip.
Newman turned around and stabbed Detective Sergeant Breda with an almost 10cm long blade in the torso, leaving him lying severely injured on the ground.
Detective Senior Constable Tim Carey fired at Newman after Detective Senior Constable Benjamin Anderson’s gun misfired, but the sex offender remained standing.
After clearing his gun, Senior Constable Anderson shot again, sending Newman falling to the floor.
But the knife was still in his hand – and in a final bid to take control of the situation, he tried to slit his own throat.
‘Throw the knife away, you’re going to bleed out,’ one of the officers said, with Newman responding ‘F*** you’.
An inquest has heard Newman was writing his will when police approached him at the pub on Australia Day 2018. Pictured: Police at the scene of the incident
The knife wounds were only superficial and Newman died at the scene from his gunshot injuries.
Sergeant Breda suffered serious injuries, resulting in the loss of one of his kidneys, and required eight months of rehabilitative therapy.
Ms Needham found the officers responded reasonably to the threat they perceived Newman posed, based on the evidence tendered to the court.
Mark Tedeschi, QC, appearing on behalf of the police, said if they had not fired, ‘this would be an inquest into the death of Detective Sergeant John Breda’.
He said he would submit that Newman, who was a member of a survivalist social media group, intended to die and take officers down with him.
‘His action after being shot multiple times by police, of literally slitting his own throat, demonstrates vividly that he fully intended to use the occasion of his arrest as an opportunity to commit suicide and murder a police officer, or officers,’ Mr Tedeschi said.
‘Taking all of these factors into account, your honour, it will be submitted this was an instance of what is colloquially known as ‘suicide by cop’.’
The inquest is expected to run for four weeks.
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