Daily London
Three months since Desmond Freeman allegedly killed two officers in Victoria’s high country, a Melbourne man has claimed to have spotted the fugitive in South Africa.
The man allegedly called Crime Stoppers after claiming he saw Dezi Freeman in Cape Town.
The Melbourne man claimed to have made eye contact with the fugitive before he darted off.
But former police detective Charlie Bezzina has poured cold water on the claims.
“This guy Dezi Freeman is not an organised criminal,” Bezzina told Today.
“He wouldn’t have the connections, I wouldn’t believe, to get a false passport. Then you’ve got to get past facial recognition at all areas of departure in Australia.”
“I’ll be very surprised if he’s able to get out of the country.”
Freeman, 56, has not been seen since August 26, when police officers Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart were shot dead at his home at Porepunkah in regional Victoria.
“Chief Commissioner Bush has certainly made it quite clear that they’re not going to give up,” Bezzina said.
“Clearly, he wouldn’t have survived this length of time in the bush if he’s self-sufficient, even if he is hunting or gathering his own food source.”
“But, how long is a piece of string?”
The two officers were part of a team executing a search warrant on Freeman’s property. A third officer was also wounded.
A $1 million reward has been offered for information leading to Freeman’s arrest.
