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The Coroner’s Court is deciding on the next step after the police reinvestigation into the death of Gore toddler Lachie Jones.
Lachie Jones was found dead in an oxidation pond 1.2km from his home on January 29, 2019, and police almost immediately determined it to be a tragic drowning.
A subsequent reinvestigation came to the same conclusion, but the boy’s father, Paul Jones, has repeatedly rubbished that opinion and been openly critical of the police’s conduct.
In June last year, he received some vindication when Coroner Alexander Ho said the boy’s cause of death was "inconclusive" and he directed the police to undertake further inquiries.
In a minute released on Tuesday, the coroner said the police re-investigation file was being released to interested parties.
The next step was for the court to decide how the coronial inquiry should be progressed or concluded.
The reinvestigation file had been distributed to interested parties to be reviewed for the purposes of the coronial inquiry.
“The re-investigation file is large. It is fair to allow parties some time to digest and review the information in it,” the minute said.
The coroner gave interested parties until February 5 next year to consider the file and make submissions on next steps.