Scott Johnson 1959 -1988

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Scott Johnson (1959-1988) American student of mathematics found dead in New South Wales, Australia in December 1988. First regarded as suicide but now after a third inquest the verdict has been revised as "hate crime" on weak evidence.

Dubious Hate Crime

When Scott Johnson's body was found by fishermen at the foot of a cliff at North Head on December 10, 1988, it was naked. His clothes were neatly folded at the top. Police swiftly determined death by suicide. However, his family wanted an alternative explanation and called persistently for the case to be re-opened. They drew attention to the fact that Scott was homosexual.

There are conflicting claims about whether North Head was a place where homosexual men went for assignations and naked sunbathing. At the original inquest, police investigator Doreen Cruickshank did not investigate Mr Johnson's death as a "gay hate" murder because she determined that North Head was not a gay beat. If it was the police would have known about it because it would also have been frequented by those who wished gay people harm, she said. [1]

However at the third inquest, the coroner accepted 30-year-old allegations that the area was known as a place of homosexual assignation and was prowled by gangs intending to beat up victims. Although there was never any other case of a victim being pushed off a cliff, and no other person can be proved to have been on the scene, the third inquest drew the conclusion that this was murder.

An alternative explanation would be that of accidental death. December in Australia is midsummer. Maybe Johnson took his clothes off to sunbathe, fell asleep and rolled off the cliff. Or maybe he wanted to go for a swim, and slipped while climbing down the cliff. Or maybe he did actually commit suicide. Was the body ever tested for AIDS or HIV? There are many possibilities but clearly the family who demanded these repeated inquests were determined to prove it was was murder and now they have got what they wanted. [2]

References

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  1. http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/coroner-to-determine-cause-of-scott-johnsons-death-after-original-investigation-inadequate-20170624-gwxt4s.html
  2. https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/03/bogus-hate-crimes-trump-conservatives/