Former cop says secret police strike force into gay hate crimes was 'dirty, cheap, underhanded'

Former police detective sergeant Stephen Page doesn't hold back when asked about the secret New South Wales Police strike force that he says destroyed his reputation. Timeline of events Late 1980s – Ross Warren and Gilles Mattaini go missing from Tamarama; John Russell is found dead at the bottom of cliffs at Tamarama amid a wave of gay hate crimes Early 2000s – Operation Taradale, led by Stephen Page reopens the cases and investigation points to foul play 2005 – The Milledge inquest finds Mr Warren and Mr Russell were murdered and a “strong possibility” Mr Mattaini died in similar circumstances 2015 - 2018 — Unbeknown to the victims’ families and the public, Strike Force Neiwand is set up to reinvestigate the deaths Late 2023 — Justice John Sackar finds Strike Force Neiwand was “wholly secretive” and “intellectually dishonest”, as it pursued suicide and misadventure theories rather than murder Mr Page was a key player in trying to solve the long-running mystery around the deaths of three gay men near Bondi in the 1980s. But Justice Sackar concluded Strike Force Neiwand was an "unjustified and unfair attack" on Mr Page, and an attack on "the reliability and viability of the Milledge inquest and findings". 'Not a good look' but police have changed: former Justice Kirby Former justice Michael Kirby says it's unsurprising Strike Force Neiwand tried to "defend the institution". Civil rights advocate and former High Court justice Michael Kirby told 7.30 the secrecy around Strike Force Neiwand "wasn't a good look".