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Killer dad bailed despite fears he would murder family

Killer dad should have been in custody, police say
• ‘Unbelievably brave’: Tributes flow in for grieving mum
• Rosie Batty speaks of her ‘shock’ and ‘disbelief’
• Boy dies, man shot dead in cricket training tragedy

The Victorian man who killed his son at cricket training was granted bail despite police fears he would murder his family, it has been reported.

A Frankston magistrate was told police feared Gregory Anderson was capable of carrying out threats he made to kill his family, the Herald Sun reports.

But the magistrate granted Anderson bail in June last year.

On Wednesday he killed his 11-year-old son Luke Batty during cricket training on an oval at Tyabb.

Last year police opposed Anderson getting bail with one officer telling a magistrate he was capable of killing his family.

“Genuine concerns are held by police as the accused appears more than capable of carrying out the threats to kill,” the officer reportedly said.

“The accused’s pattern of behaviour appears to be becoming more erratic and aggressive.”

Another bail hearing was told: “The victim (Ms Batty) in this matter is extremely concerned for the welfare of her son, Luke”, the paper said.

The latest revelations come as police admit Anderson should have been taken into custody in January, but an IT system failure meant officers didn’t realise he was a wanted man.

Anderson had five outstanding warrants when he killed Luke, before being shot dead by police.

Chief Commissioner Ken Lay said Anderson had been questioned by police on January 27 about several assaults, but there’s a two-week lag time for such information to appear on the computer system.

“If police would’ve gone to that address a day later, those warrants would have been visible,” Mr Lay told reporters on Friday.

The state’s Law Enforcement Assistance Program (LEAP) database has been criticised for at least 15 years, though little progress has been made in fixing it.

Luke’s mother Rosie Batty visited the scene of the horrific murder on Friday, reading the many tributes left to him.

She thanked the public for their support and was not angry with police, saying they can only do so much.

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