Coronial
NSWcommunity

Inquest into the death of Mark MASON

Deceased

Mark Mason

Demographics

male

Date of death

2011-11

Finding date

2013-10-04

Cause of death

gunshot wound

AI-generated summary

Mark Mason died in November 2011 during a police operation in Collarenebri when shot by a police officer. The officer claimed he acted in self-defence after being attacked by Mason; the family disputed this account and obtained legal representation through the Western Aboriginal Legal Service. Mason's representatives sought production of documents concerning prior allegations of excessive force by police in the area to test the officer's credibility at inquest. The coroner ruled these documents must be withheld due to statutory privilege under the Police Act, as they concern police complaints and disciplinary matters. This ruling addressed only the procedural issue of evidence production; the coroner's substantive findings on manner of death and whether force was excessive were not included in this judgment.

AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.

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