Constable Paul Hunt's demeanour after being stood down from the policing job he had always wanted was described as "very angry" by a senior ranking officer at a coronial inquest examining police suicides.
Constable Hunt had significant addiction issues to codeine and pseudoephedrine-based pain killers, and his addictive behaviour had "tipped over into serious criminality".
The 32-year-old had just attended a meeting with Tasmania Police's Professional Standards Command where his phone had been confiscated, his lockers searched, and a stand down notice served upon him.
He admitted to a senior ranking officer that he was a drug addict, declined to take any phone calls from police superiors, declined an offer to be taken home, and then ran away from his colleagues.
Hours later, Constable Hunt was dead, having taken his own life at his father's Mount Direction property near Launceston in northern Tasmania.
His suicide is being looked at by the coroner alongside the deaths of Tasmania Police officers Senior Sergeant Paul Reynolds, Constable Simon Darke and Sergeant Robert Cooke who died between 2016 and 2020.
Senior Sergeant Andrew Bennett was a witness at the coronial inquest and said he spoke personally with Constable Hunt after the Professional Standards meeting.
Snr Sgnt Bennett said at that time, Constable Hunt was not demonstrating behaviours of someone who required protective custody or needed urgent mental health intervention.
He said he remained stoic throughout the Professional Standards process, but at the end of their personal chat, Constable Hunt "started to appear a bit more distant but angry".
"In the 30 minutes I had with him in my office once Professional Standards had left I was trying to satisfy myself that...with whom I leave him with he would be safe. That was my intention at the time," Snr Sgnt Bennett said.
"We almost had a fight at the back door. I was pleading with him to get in the police car with me and I would drive him home, or we would take him to a pub and we could have a drink and chat to get through the emotion of what had just occurred."
Snr Sgnt Bennet said it was like a switch flicked in Constable Hunt.
"It was quite clear the fight or flight response was kicking in. I was trying to reengage his brain with thinking rationally," he said.
"He seemed angry. Just very angry. It was like a switch ticked straight over and it was just anger. I wasn't sure if he was angry with me, angry with himself, I couldn't get enough information from him."
When Constable Hunt ran away, he called out the pin code to his mobile phone which he had earlier refused to provide to Professional Standards.
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Questions were raised over whether a replacement mobile phone was given to Constable Hunt after his phone was taken from him.
Snr Sgnt Bennett said Professional Standards remained professional throughout their dealings with Constable Hunt.
"They were...very professional. It is not a job anyone wants to do."
Since Constable Hunt's 2016 death, Snr Sgnt Bennett said wellbeing supports for police officers and government investment had improved.
"From a cultural point of view the force has been on a journey...those silos are being broken down," he said.
"I don't think there needs to be legislative change. From a police point of view we could always review policy, but things have improved significantly."
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, seek help and support from Lifeline (13 11 14), Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), or the Lifeline crisis chat service at www.lifeline.org.au/crisis-chat. In an emergency, call Triple Zero (000).
