The Wieambilla inquest has heard details of “next level fucked up” emails threatening police that were received just hours before the deadly massacre on the remote Queensland property.
The emails, received by NSW police the morning of the shootings, were by Gareth Train and detailed his family’s hatred of police and authority figures.
The court heard in the emails Gareth warned his nephew that “if trouble arrives on my door step it will be dealt with forthwith as it always has”.
Referring to police, Gareth said: “I am sure when the bully men find Nathaniel [Train], he will greet them as they deserve.”
A NSW police officer, in charge of a missing person’s search for Nathaniel, was concerned that a visit by Queensland police could spark hostility, an inquest has been told, even before being forwarded the four emails on 12 December 2022.
But the inquest, by the Queensland state coroner, Terry Ryan, had previously heard the four officers sent to the property had never been shown the correspondence.
Hours later constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow were killed while conducting a welfare check on their remote property at Wieambilla, in western Queensland. The court has previously heard that few red flags had been raised by checks on their state’s system.
In an email to nephew Aidan Train, Gareth wrote: “Anyone reading the news knows how ‘welfare checks’ in Australia are conducted by police.”
“I am sure when the bully men find Nathaniel, he will greet them as they deserve. As I have explained over many years after working with uniformed police, CPIU detectives and my own personal experience with senior police they have not attempted to change their criminal behaviour since being exposed during the Fitzgerald inquiry 1988-89.”
In the emails he described another person as a “trouble making succubus” who would “see Nathaniel dead” if not able to “fully control him” under a “spell”.
The emails also detailed Gareth’s belief that people wanted to “see you dead by saturnalia Satan’s festive holyday of the year”.
The court heard that saturnalia is a holiday in December.
NSW police concluded Nathaniel and Gareth Train were suffering from “delusional paranoia” and were unlikely to help police.
NSW police acting inspector Simon Thorpe, who lodged the missing person’s report for Nathaniel while serving at NSW’s Walgett police station, testified on the 13th day of the inquiry on Monday.
At 8.39am on 12 December, he received four emails written by Gareth and forwarded to police by a close associate of the Trains.
That person described Gareth’s emails as “next level fucked up”, the court heard.
Thorpe responded at 9.06am: “Thank you for the emails and the additional insight with Gareth’s unique perspective of things.” He also forwarded them to other NSW police officers.
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Thorpe also lodged a message on the Computerised Operational Policing System database used by NSW police that the Trains were suffering “delusional paranoia”.
“It appears that Gareth would be uncooperative assisting with police attempts to locate MP [missing person]. Stated that he received a message from “actor inspector gadget Simon Thorpe,” it said.
The court has heard previously that the emails were “incredibly disturbing” and included anti-police commentary including that he would be “waiting for police with an eye open” and a police visit would only result in “death and harm”, but has yet to see the full emails.
Thorpe also testified about his dealings with a civilian regarding the missing person’s report he ultimately lodged on their behalf, for Nathaniel Train.
The officer said he phoned Gareth Train in the week before the massacre because he was concerned there might be a confrontation if police attended the property. The phone wasn’t answered and he left a message.
“The information I had been provided by [the close associate] was that Gareth had a dislike of police and authority,” he said.
“If we sent Queensland police out there to make these inquiries now, and he wasn’t there the Queensland police would be met with most likely hostility because of what Gareth’s opinion of police and authority figures were and would be uncooperative.”
He said if Queensland police didn’t find Nathaniel on the first check, a second visit might cause “even potentially further conflict or hostility”.
“I thought it would be more productive if I tried to ring him.”
Gareth never rang back.
That afternoon the three Trains shot and killed two general duties police officers, Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, after lying in wait at their property, west of Brisbane. They later shot their neighbour Alan Dare and were themselves killed by the Queensland police special emergency response team.
The close associate cannot be identified for legal reasons.
The inquest continues.
