Senior police rated the suspicious death of a gay US mathematician a "nil priority" despite an internal review urging known gay hate offenders be investigated.
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The NSW special inquiry into gay hate crimes is scrutinising the high-profile case of Scott Johnson, whose December 1988 death was first considered a suicide before it was later ruled a homicide.
Mr Johnson, 27, died after he was punched at a gay beat on Sydney's northern beaches.
His naked body was later found on rocks at the bottom of cliffs at North Head.
The death was initially ruled a suicide, but family pressure, a series of inquiries and a $2 million reward sparked renewed interest in the cold case.
His killer was sentenced to nine years in jail for manslaughter earlier this year.
On Monday, former unsolved homicide squad detective Alicia Taylor confirmed her 2012 review of the case urged consideration of a probe into "known persons of interest" charged with "offences against homosexuals" on the northern beaches.
The report said such an investigation "may produce further lines of inquiry and enable covert opportunities to gather information" on the Johnson case.
Despite Detective Sergeant Taylor's report, another police document, authored by four senior officers, ranked the case as a "nil priority", giving it a score of 14 out of 50.
Cases with a ranking 15 or less could be suspended or closed, the inquiry heard.
"I can't provide any advice about the case prioritisation form," Det Sgt Taylor said, adding that she was not a party to it.
She said she was also unaware of police rating the "case solvability" as zero.
Det Sgt Taylor is one of two ex-unsolved homicide squad detectives scheduled to be questioned on Monday over their handling of suspected gay hate death investigations.
Earlier, commissioner John Sackar castigated police for their "absolutely unacceptable" conduct at the inquiry in relation to poor record-keeping.
Proceedings were adjourned for a large part of the morning after counsel assisting Peter Gray said he had received documents from police just 10 minutes before the session.
"How many times does your client have to be reminded that last-minute production is absolutely unacceptable, it is disruptive of the inquiry's proceedings," Justice Sackar told NSW Police barrister Anders Mykkeltvedt.
"I'm sick and tired of your client's attitude in relation to these documents and it is yet again testimony to the fact that I think your client doesn't know where half its records are."
The inquiry, which is examining the deaths of gay people in NSW between 1970 and 2010, is due to report to the government in December.
Australian Associated Press
