Ex-officer apologises at inquest of Sydney man shot dead by police

Ex-officer apologises during inquest into fatal shooting of Sydney man Jesse Deacon Thu 23 Jul 2026 at 3:13pm In short: A former officer present on the call-out where a Sydney man was shot dead by police has given evidence at a coronial inquest. Hugo James apologised to Jesse Deacon's mother, and told the court he was medically discharged from the force after his death. What's next? The officer who fatally shot Mr Deacon, who cannot be named, is yet to give evidence. A former sergeant has apologised to the mother of a Sydney man who was shot dead by police while experiencing a mental health episode. A coronal inquest is examining the circumstances surrounding the death of Jesse Deacon, who was killed in 2023 when police were called to his Glebe unit over reports he had been self-harming. Hugo James was among three police officers who were first to arrive at the scene, but he was not the officer who fatally shot the 43-year-old. Mr James was visibly emotional in the witness box on Thursday as a letter he wrote to Mr Deacon's mother, Judy, was read to the court out on his behalf. He wanted her to know how "deeply sorry" he was to have been involved in the "chain of events that ended with Jesse losing his life". "I was there that day to help your son," the letter read. "Had I known how those moments would unfold, I would have done anything within my power for the outcome to have been different." Judy Deacon, who was in court as the letter was read, thanked Mr James for being at the hearing, and said she was "here for change". 'Jesse mattered' Deputy State Coroner David O'Neil heard Mr James and two of his colleagues were responding to a "priority job" at the public housing complex on the night of July 19, 2023. When they arrived, the court heard a man told the trio his neighbour had been cutting himself, and Mr James noticed droplets of blood on the stairs leading up to Mr Deacon's apartment. When Mr Deacon failed to respond to the officers' requests to let them in, the court heard one of Mr James's colleagues kicked the door open. In her opening statement earlier this week, Counsel Assisting Donna Ward SC told the court Mr Deacon came out holding a "large knife" in his hand. A taser was then unsuccessfully deployed, and he was fatally shot by an officer less than a second later. In his letter, Mr James said that outcome was never something he "imagined, wanted or intended," and it has stayed with him ever since. "I want you to know that Jesse mattered, he was never just another job or another call-out," the letter read. "He was a person who needed help, and that was why we were there." Officer says he did not recall warning details Mr James's letter was read to the court before he was asked questions about the events on the night of Mr Deacon's death. The court heard that Mr Deacon's brief criminal and health history was communicated via radio to Mr James and his colleagues as they were making the short journey from the police station to the address. Mr James said he did not recall hearing the specific details of those warnings, and said he only learned the full breadth of Mr Deacon's mental health struggles, criminal history and drug use when preparing for the inquest. "All of that would have been helpful [on the night]," he told the court. "But [there is] a question as to how nine volumes of brief, and multiple people pouring over that could be conveyed to me in its entirety in a concise manner, in the couple of minutes responding to the call, attending, and forcing entry." He agreed it would be "beneficial" if additional context or detail on a person's mental health history could be provided to officers before they arrive at a similar job. Mr James was also asked by the coroner whether he could recall what mental health training he had received when he was a police officer. He said he believed they had done a one-day course, and that other mandatory training they had completed throughout the years had "some mental health components". Mr James also said he had applied to complete training with the NSW Police's Mental Health Intervention Team a number of years ago, but his course ended up being cancelled. The court heard Mr James did not return to work after Mr Deacon's death, and was later medically discharged from the police force because of the "profound" effect it had on him. The officer who fired the fatal shot at Mr Deacon, who can only be identified as Officer A, is yet to give evidence. The inquest continues.