A landmark third inquest into the 1988 death of Scott Johnson at Manly’s North Head has found the American PhD student died as the result of a gay hate crime, overturning the findings of the two prior investigations into his death.
New South Wales coroner Michael Barnes today said Johnson, whose naked body was found at the bottom of a 60-metre cliff, demonstrated few of the characteristics associated with suicide.
However, Barnes noted the area surrounding the clifftop was a noted “gay beat”, one of several locations around Sydney where gangs “expected to find homosexual men with a view to assaulting them.”
Barnes said it was likely more than one person was culpable for the attack which led to Johnson falling off the cliff, or that Johnson may have fallen while trying to escape an attack.
It is the first time an inquest has listed external actors as a likely cause of Johnson’s death. The first inquest in 1989 found Johnson took his own life, and the second inquest in 2012, spurred by a campaign launched by his brother Steve Johnson, did not conclude how the 27-year-old fell.
Speaking outside Glebe Coroner’s Court, Steve Johnson today criticised historic police action on his brother’s death, saying “I think the police should be free to investigate this as they know how to do, focusing on homicide, which is something they haven’t really done in the past.”
The coroner also said “those responsible for the initial investigation quickly jumped to conclusions without thoroughly and impartially examining all the facts”, but added the inquest made insufficient findings to identify Johnson’s attackers.
Barnes did not make a recommendation on police action regarding the case going forward, but said the case will remain open.
