ACT Coroner says there was not 'a decent investigation' into the death of Indigenous man Nathan Booth

ABC NEWS (Australia)

An inquest into the death of Canberra man Nathan Booth has opened today five years after he was found dead in the Murrumbidgee River. The coroner Ken Archer has apologised to his family for the delay as he took the unusual step of opening the inquest at Pine Island not far from where Mr Booth was found. WARNING: Indigenous viewers are warned this report contains the image of a person who has died - used with his family's permission.

Transcript

00:00 Still loved and still missed, Nathan Booth's family has literally worn their grief on their

00:07 shirts, dismayed by an initial finding of death by misadventure.

00:13 This has compounded the trauma and anguish in Aboriginal communities and families, like

00:18 our family who are before you today, forced to grieve without closure or consequence for

00:26 those responsible.

00:28 Today Coroner Ken Archer apologised for the long delay, telling the family, "Nathan's

00:34 case had been left to languish for a period of time.

00:38 That should not have been allowed to happen.

00:40 He said much work was needed to assemble the case.

00:44 Up to that point, I do not think that the job had been done properly."

00:48 Mr Booth was last seen in June 2019.

00:52 His body was found in the river in December that year by two schoolboys on a fishing trip

00:57 near a rock formation known as the Toaster.

01:01 Today the court viewed drone footage of the terrain as details were revealed about how

01:06 Mr Booth had a broken ankle before he died, and later forensic tests found methadone and

01:12 methamphetamines in his liver and hair.

01:15 But for his family, it's about finding answers.

01:19 We will not be deterred until the truth we can no longer ignore is finally reckoned with.

01:24 A key question for the inquest is whether Nathan Booth's body was moved downstream

01:30 by the water or whether he died where he was found.

01:33 Tomorrow the inquest will hear from experts in river levels and geospatial analysis, as

01:39 well as a kayaker who regularly filmed in the area in 2019.

01:44 The inquest is expected to run until the end of the week.

01:47 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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