No charges for wife of alleged cop killer

Allanah SciberrasAAP
Camera IconPolice will not pursue charges against the wife of alleged cop killer Dezi Freeman. (Simon Dallinger/AAP PHOTOS) Credit: AAP

Charges against the wife of alleged cop killer Dezi Freeman, and another man, will no longer be pursued by police.

Freeman has been on the run after allegedly shooting dead Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart while they served a warrant at his home in Porepunkah, about 300km northeast of Melbourne.

Hundreds of police have been involved in the manhunt, with more than 400 officers deployed in the hours and days after the killings on August 26.

Police previously focused their investigation on Amalia Freeman, 42, arresting her and a 15-year-old boy during a raid on a Porepunkah home on August 29.

Detective Superintendent Jason Kelly told reporters in September that a brief of evidence was being compiled to potentially prosecute the fugitive's wife for obstructing police at the time of the shooting.

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Police have since confirmed they would no longer be proceeding with charges.

"A 42-year-old Porepunkah woman and a 56-year-old Porepunkah man were interviewed by investigators from Taskforce Summit in relation to the offence of indictable obstruction of police," a Victoria Police spokesperson said on Friday.

"A third person was interviewed in relation to the offence of attempted theft."

Despite a meticulous investigation, during which experienced detectives prepared a brief of evidence, a spokesperson said there is insufficient evidence to support a prosecution at this time.

"Those briefs were independently reviewed, and the same outcome was reached," the spokesperson added.

"Any further information received by police in relation to these matters will be thoroughly assessed and acted on as appropriate."

Police in February returned to the property to carry out a five-day search to find the fugitive, involving cadaver dogs and specialist officers from across the nation.

The search ended without any breakthroughs.

There have been no sightings of Freeman since the shooting, nor any signs of life since he disappeared into the bush.

Detective Inspector Adam Tilley previously said Freeman was either dead in the national park, escaped the park and was being harboured by others or had escaped the area without any help.

Officers have investigated thousands of pieces of intelligence, including numerous tip-offs from the public, with the hunt for Freeman remaining the force's "number one priority".

A $1 million reward, the largest in Victoria's history, and the possibility of indemnity for information leading to the fugitive's capture is on offer.

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