Lachie Jones inquest: Brother to leave country before giving evidence

Thursday, 8 August 2024

Jonathan Scott, 21, the brother of dead toddler Lachie Jones, arrives at the Invercargill courthouse to give evidence at the coronial inquest into the toddler’s death in May.

Lachie Jones’s brother Jonathan Scott is expected to leave the country and will give further evidence via audiovisual link for the inquest into the toddler’s death.

Coroner Alexander Ho heard a verbal application from police lawyer Robin Bates for Scott’s evidence to be heard via audiovisual link (AVL) at the end of Wednesday’s sitting of the inquest in the Invercargill District Court.

Scott, who gave evidence at the first sitting of the inquest in May, was scheduled to again give evidence on Tuesday.

Lawyer Beatrix Woodhouse, who is acting for Scott and Lachie’s mother Michelle Officer, said the trip was pre-planned.

“In terms of his visit to Australia, while this does coincide with the day is he due to give evidence next week, but Mr Scott’s tickets were booked well in advance of him being notified that he would be recalled as a witness.”

Lachie Jones was found dead late on the evening of January 29, 2019, face up in a council wastewater pond near his home in Gore.

Gore police admitted that on the night Lachie died they quickly concluded he had drowned. They did not lock the scene down, it wasn’t clear who was in charge and in some cases, they waited a month to interview key witnesses.

In May, Scott denied allegations of storing the 3-year-old’s body in a freezer until he knew what to do with it, but admitted buying cannabis as family members and neighbours searched for his half-brother.

Coroner Alexander Ho granted leave for Scott to give evidence via AVL. (File photo)

Scott admitted he had lied to police about buying cannabis that night because he did not want to get in trouble with police.

An inquest into the death of Lachie Jones resumes in Invercargill tomorrow, and his dad Paul hopes it will bring him some answers.

On Wednesday, Bates said Scott was ‘’out of the jurisdiction’’ and was ‘’overseas’’.

Coroner Ho granted the application, with the conditions that Scott be in a quiet and private location, had his camera facing the door and was alone or with a support person who had not given evidence during the inquest, when he gave his evidence.

Scott was named on a witness list that was released by the Ministry of Justice on Friday.

His brother, Cameron Scott, gave his evidence via AVL from Australia in May.

* CORRECTION: This story has been amended from an earlier version that said Scott had already left the country. Amended: August 8, 2024, 10.17am.