Alleged double cop killer Dezi Freeman has been branded a ‘hypocrite’ by his own family for receiving a disability pension for more than two decades, despite refusing to recognise the state.
The bombshell claim emerged as the widespread manhunt for the self-proclaimed sovereign citizen entered its ninth day on Wednesday.
Freeman, 56, remains on the run after he allegedly shot dead two police officers and wounded another at his Porepunkah property in Victoria’s high country last Tuesday.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, 35, were killed after 10 officers entered his Rayner Track address to execute a warrant for alleged historical sex abuse against a child.
Freeman has come under fire from former neighbours for pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars in disability pension payments, despite being a ‘sovereign citizen’ who professed to loathe government and authority.
‘He never worked, never had any money… that’s what used to s**t me too because he was so against the government, but then got his Centrelink cheque every week,’ a former neighbour told the Herald Sun.
A family member backed up claims that Freeman received the pension for more than 20 years but didn’t know what qualified him for the means-tested government payment which can be up to $1,149 per fortnight.
They could only recall Freeman complaining about a sore tooth, but conceded that he may have suffered mental health issues in recent years.
Dezi Freeman (pictured) has benefitted from a disability pension for more than two decades, despite being a self-proclaimed ‘sovereign citizen’ who loathes the government
Family and former neighbours have branded Dezi Freeman (pictured during a 2021 arrest) as a hypocrite for collecting the disability pension
The manhunt for the alleged cop killer ramped up when heavily-armed tactical officers launched a night operation on Tuesday (pictured)
‘He always told everyone how poor he was and that he was the victim,’ the family member told the publication.
‘He always wanted people to empathise… the hypocrisy. The whole family kind of laughed at him.’
Police activity ramped up in Porepunkah on Tuesday afternoon as gun-toting tactical cops and sniffer dogs converged on a small residential area outside the town.
It is understood police did not attend a specific address.
Residents speculated that the officers were searching along the Buckland River for any sign of Freeman.
Tactical police later launched a night operation on a hilltop overlooking Porepunkah.
Daily Mail photos showed a law enforcement convoy, including heavily armed officers arriving on a hillside overlooking the township. Officers were seen looking at a map ahead of the operation before embarking on their ascent.
Police claim they received a ‘remarkable’ amount of information from locals after setting up a public information caravan in the nearby town of Bright.
Special tactics groups and other specialist police have joined the week-long manhunt
The desperate manhunt for fugitive Dezi Freeman has entered its second week
Additional police will soon join the 450-strong force tasked with tracking down Freeman.
Superintendent Brett Kahan also hasn’t ruled out issuing a public reward for information.
‘It’s an avenue that we will explore,’ he said.
‘All I say is that the number of police in the area is increasing over the course of the week (since the shooting).
‘So instead of decreasing our commitment to this, we’re increasing, and we’ll continue to throw the full arm of Victoria Police towards the search for this armed fugitive.’
