№00277

Raymond Thomas

Raymond Noel Lindsay Thomas, 30-year-old Indigenous man, died in a police chase in June 2017, in Melbourne, Australia.

Thomas was driving to the supermarket. The police noticed suspicious plates on his car and found out that it was unregistered. The police began the chase. 21 seconds after the start of the chase, Thomas lost control of his car and crashed. He died at the scene.

In July 2021, a court hearing was held that ended with a warning to the state police to “learn their lesson”. Representatives of the Aboriginal community were outraged that the police sent police officers to the courthouse, thereby showing disrespect to the Thomas family. Police said the extra security at the courthouse was due to intelligence-led concerns about possible risks. Thomas’ family said they would continue to seek justice.

СМИ

MASS MEDIA ABOUT THE CASE:

“Whilst we’ll never know why Raymond Noel took flight, the potential contribution of his adverse experiences with police cannot be excluded,” coroner John Ollie said.
The Age

“Ray did nothing wrong. The police should not have followed Ray that night and their decision to follow him led to his death,” Thomas’ parents said.
NIT

FILES

CASE STATUS:

The initiative group has requested the clarification from Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison, Attorney-General of Australia Michaelia Cash and Minister for Home Affairs of Australia Karen Andrews. The initiative group believes it is important to fight against police brutality and, if necessary, will provide legal and financial assistance to the family of the victim.