A HANDGUN used by Wagga man Jason Plum to kill himself while in the back of a police truck last year had been stolen from a Coonamble farm the previous month, an inquest heard yesterday.
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The theft was revealed by Peter Aitken, counsel assisting deputy state coroner Hugh Dillon, on the first day of an inquest into the death of 37-year-old Mr Plum on August 14, 2011.
Mr Aitken said the weapon – a small silver revolver – was likely to have been passed on or sold to Mr Plum after its theft from a safe.
Mr Plum died the day after he shot himself in the head while in the back of the truck at the Wagga police station following his arrest for assaulting Natalie McLoon, described at the inquest in Wagga as Mr Plum’s on-again, off-again girlfriend.
Because Mr Plum died in police custody, an inquest is mandatory.
Among key issues listed by Mr Aitken for the inquest was a failure by police at the scene of Mr Plum’s arrest to search him.
Police also did not call Mr Plum’s name in to police radio and ask about warnings, even though at least one of the police officers - not yet identified - knew who he was.
“At no stage did it appear any officer has asked for a check on VKG (police radio),” Mr Aitken said.
In his detailed summary of expected evidence, Mr Aitken said Mr Plum - a martial arts practitioner, personal trainer and former rugby league player - was being treated for bipolar disorder and before his death had stopped taking his medication, something which alarmed his treating psychiatrist, as he noted Mr Plum moved from depression to a hyper manic stage.
In her evidence, Ms McLoon said she had booked into the Townhouse Hotel in Wagga with Mr Plum and had gone out for a “hen’s night” while Mr Plum went out with a friend, Mark Cutler.
She said she knew Mr Plum had the gun in their room.
She said she became worried about Mr Plum becoming intoxicated in public places so she went back to their motel room and sent texts to Mr Cutler with the purpose of making Mr Plum angry so he would return to the motel room.
Fatally, in one of the texts Ms McLoon lied that she had contacted police about the gun, leading to Mr Plum angrily racing back to the Townhouse, getting into an argument with Ms McLoon in the foyer and assaulting her.
The couple went to their room for a short time while other people in the foyer who witnessed the assault rang police.
Mr Plum was arrested as he returned to the foyer with the gun secreted on his body.
He struggled with police, leading to two mobile telephones and other possessions falling from his clothing, but the gun was not detected then or as he was placed in the police truck
Mr Aitken said there would be evidence that Mr Plum was handcuffed at the front because his resistance during his arrest made it too difficult to handcuff him with his hands behind his back.
During her evidence, Ms McLoon clashed with David Barron, the solicitor representing Mr Plum’s mother, Debra, accusing him of bullying her as he questioned her about the gun in the motel room.
“You knew Jason had the gun when he left the room, didn’t you?” Mr Barron asked Ms McLoon.
“No,” she replied.
Police officers, Constable Scott Earl and Constable Natacha Broomham, told the inquest they had driven Mr Plum back to the police station after his arrest by other officers but had not searched him.
Both told the inquest they did not know Mr Plum.
The inquest continues.
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