‘Speak now’: Brother of man killed in suspected gay hate crime pleads for information – Sydney Morning Herald

“If you have had something weighing on your mind for years about these things, now is your chance to do something to make some amends,” he said. “Now is the time to break your silence.”

The inquiry will examine approximately 25 previously publicised unsolved cases and about 15 to 30 other cases unearthed by a comprehensive review of every unsolved homicide and long-term missing persons case in NSW between 1970 and 2010.

Peter sat in the public gallery as the inquiry was told his brother was found with his feet facing towards the water and his head facing the cliffs, a position suggesting he did not jump.

John had human hairs on one of his hands; however they were lost by police before they could be tested. In 2005, a coroner found John died by homicide when he was thrown from the cliff, most likely by “gay hate assailants”. No perpetrator has been identified.

Speaking outside the hearing, Peter said he had attended every inquest in the case and “I’m here in hope that something can finally happen after all those years”.

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“It astonishes me that it’s taken that long to get here,” he said.

Peter said his father Edward, who desperately wanted an explanation, recently died before the mystery could be solved. Edward lived with dementia in his final years and would greet Peter during nursing home visits by saying “John, what are you doing here”.

“That’s all he lived for, for the last near-30 years of his life – to get a result. He never got one,” Peter said. “It’s been a long, hard road.”

Peter said he is unsure if he will ever be able to get justice because of the length of time that has passed. He suspects his brother’s killer is a person who was in custody for bashing another gay man, but there is no evidence to prove it.

“Who are you going to charge?” he asked. “You’re possibly never going to find out who did it.”

Peter has a simple message for anyone who has any information on his brother’s death, regardless of how minor it is: “Speak now.”

“If the shoe was on the other foot, how would you feel?” he said.

Anyone with information can contact the inquiry by emailing contact@specialcommission.nsw.gov.au or calling 02 9228 4855. The inquiry will resume public hearings on November 21.

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