Police failures blamed

Melbourne: Police attempts to try to stop James Gargasoulas from murdering six people and injuring 27 others in Melbourne’s Bourke St Mall never had a chance of succeeding.

That is the finding of coroner Jacqui Hawkins into the horrific car rampage that struck the city’s core during the lunchtime rush on January 20, 2017.

Systemic failures by Victoria Police contributed to the perfect storm and allowed Gargasoulas to manipulate the situation, Ms Hawkins said.

‘‘It is agonising that despite the escalating events of the previous days and the scores of police members actively engaged in attempting to stop him, such a violent, drugfuelled, psychotic and delusional perpetrator was able to slip through the cracks,’’ she said.