NSW:Open coronial finding disappoints family

AAP General News (Australia)
08-06-2010
NSW:Open coronial finding disappoints family

By Andrew Drummond

SYDNEY, Aug 6 AAP - A coroner's open finding into the suspicious death of Katrina Ploy
has disappointed the Sydney woman's already "broken" family, who are convinced she did
not commit suicide.

The 25-year-old's body was discovered in Sydney Harbour at a beach near a notorious
suicide spot on Christmas Day 2006, eight days after she went missing.

Expert evidence presented to Glebe Coroner's Court during a four-day inquest found
that her injuries were not consistent with having plunged from towering cliffs in the
area.

Deputy State Coroner Paul MacMahon agreed.

"Katrina had not been subject to a fall from a height of 40 metres," he said on Friday.

"I am satisfied on the evidence that Katrina did not die as a result of a fall from
The Gap or endured any other 40-metre fall from any other location."

Ms Ploy's car and personal items were found atop The Gap at Watsons Bay, an area Mr
MacMahon said "has a reputation" as a suicide spot.

Police evidence based on taxi company and mobile phone records shows Ms Ploy visited
the area at least twice in the month leading up to her death.

One witness - a close friend of Ms Ploy's who cannot be named for legal reasons - told
the court that shortly after her disappearance he was told that Ms Ploy had wanted to
die but couldn't kill herself so had approached a hitman to arrange her own death.

In the two months before her disappearance Ms Ploy withdrew more than $24,000 cash
from her bank accounts, some of which was later reinvested.

The witness, who admitted taking the recreational drug ecstasy with Ms Ploy the night
before her disappearance, said he had come to think that the money was withdrawn to pay
the hitman.

"The evidence available to me is insufficient for me to make any finding into the manner
of her death," Mr MacMahon said.

"There are numerous unexplained matters at this point. Some suspicion attaches to the
death of Katrina."

However, that suspicion did not lead Mr MacMahon to recommend that people linked to
Ms Ploy be prosecuted.

"In this case at the end of the inquest I'm not in a position to be able to make a
finding as to what caused Katrina's death," Mr MacMahon said.

"I cannot positively say she drowned, I cannot ... make a finding about the cause of her death."

He found that Ms Ploy died on or about December 18, 2006 and asked that the police
investigation into the matter remain open in case new information emerges.

"As to the place of her death, the cause and manner thereof, the evidence does not
allow me to make any finding," Mr MacMahon said.

Outside court on Friday Ms Ploy's older sister Tanja Ploy said the family was "pretty
disappointed" with the coronial outcome.

"Where we are right now is really no different to where we were when we entered these
courtrooms, if not worse," Ms Ploy told reporters.

"I believe personally there is sufficient evidence to rule out suicide considering
things like the lack of injuries ... but in the end it is up to the coroner."

Holding back tears Ms Ploy said her sister's death and the subsequent investigation
had destroyed her family.

"It's broken the family apart," she said.

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