Family hopes for action after Canberra father's 'senseless, preventable death' during police car chase

A family grieving over the “senseless and preventable death” of a Canberra father, who died in a head-on crash during a police chase, hopes an inquest will deliver recommendations to help ensure that no such death occurs on Australia’s roads again.

“I have completely lost trust in the police, the people meant to protect us,” Harri Jokinen’s eldest daughter, Lisa Jokinen, said at the end of an inquest into his death.

“I have no sense of safety. My belief in justice, safety and fairness has been shattered.”

On 30 December 2021, Marc Anthony Jessop was trying to flee police when he drove a stolen Holden Commodore head-on into Mr Jokinen’s van at about 188 km/h on the Monaro Highway, south of the ACT.

Mr Jokinen, aged 56, died at the scene.

Jessop pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to more than 10 years in jail before an inquest began into Mr Jokinen’s death earlier this month.

The inquest heard the actions of police that day would be scrutinised.

The first police pursuit of Jessop had been called off because it was thought to be too dangerous to the public. But police began chasing him a second time, and he was trying to escape during this chase when he crashed into Mr Jokinen’s van.

Before the inquest’s hearings ended in Queanbeyan on Friday (11 April), Mr Jokinen’s family gave statements to the court about the impacts of his death.

Ms Jokinen said she was grieving “the senseless and preventable death” of her father and described him as a man of remarkable intelligence, creativity and enthusiasm for life.

“His presence lit up every room, and his absence has left a darkness we cannot fill,” she said.

“We shared so many passions – music, food, bikes, culture, the outdoors. He was my guide and my friend.

“Now, I can no longer enjoy those things without being overwhelmed by pain.”

Ms Jokinen said her mother died shortly after she finished high school, and she lost her father soon after she finished university.

“I have no parents left and no one to call in a crisis,” she said.

“I mourn not only the loss of my father but the loss of myself – the version of me who existed when he was alive.”

Elisabeth Adamson, Mr Jokinen’s partner, described him as her “soulmate”. When she heard he died, she said, “my present and my future exploded into a million tiny pieces”.

“Above all, I’ll always be sad that this beautiful human who was so genuinely happy and excited and felt so fortunate in the life we’d built together is no longer here to live it and share his enthusiasm, kooky humour and endless creativity,” she said.

Dr Adamson said while it may seem strange, she had little anger towards Jessop.

“He has said he is sorry and that he didn’t mean to hurt anyone but simply panicked,” she said.

“However, I am angry. I am angry that my partner died in a NSW Police operation.

“Harri did not die in an accident. The definition of an accident is ‘an event that happens by chance or without deliberate cause’. My partner died in a perfectly orchestrated event led by the NSW Police.”

Dr Adamson claimed that during the second police chase, “The lethal overtaking attempt by the panicked pursued driver was perfectly predictable behaviour”.

She also claimed NSW Police “failed to communicate honestly about the event” to her and her family in the days and weeks after the crash.

“Our experiences during and after this police operation have resulted in our entire family having a deep mistrust of the NSW Police and a very real loss of any feeling of safety in our community,” she said.

Rhys Hardy, Ms Jokinen’s partner, said he was “gravely disappointed” that nearly all police officers involved in the incident left the courtroom before his family delivered their statements for the inquest.

“Overall, I am appalled at what I see to be a systemic lack of regard and accountability,” he said.

“I am so frustrated knowing that Harri’s death was avoidable.”

Magistrate Rebecca Hosking will hand down her findings into the inquest in mid-May.