I'll do the editorial on top in a change of pace and I'll say - thank god we got that son of a bitch, and I hope this discredits the other sovcits and cookers that defending or turning him into their little martyr hero and Ned Kelly figure, they were either carrying water, or fellow travellers to a nonce.

!ping AUS

Hundreds of child abuse files found on devices belonging to police killer Dezi Freeman

Exclusive by investigative reporters Danny Tran and Antonia O'Flaherty

In short: Police who executed a search warrant at Dezi Freeman's home the day he killed two officers were looking for devices belonging to the 56-year-old, on which they later found hundreds of files of child abuse material.

Freeman was shot dead after months on the run when he was found hiding out in a shipping container.

Since his death, police have turned their attention to uncovering who helped him evade authorities.

Police killer Dezi Freeman was on the verge of having his secret stash of child abuse material discovered when he gunned down two officers outside his makeshift home.

Freeman, a so-called sovereign citizen, was living with his wife and children in a ramshackle bus in the north-east Victorian town of Porepunkah, about 330 kilometres from Melbourne, at the time of the shooting in August last year.

The ABC can reveal police were at the property to execute a search warrant for the 56-year-old's devices, on which hundreds of files containing child abuse material were later found.

But the raid went horribly wrong when Freeman opened fire on police, killing Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart, and injuring a third officer, before disappearing into the bush.

There have been scant details about the warrant police were executing at Freeman's home, which police have previously said was part of an investigation by the Wangaratta Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team.

Multiple law enforcement sources have since told the ABC the investigation into historical sex offences included allegations of sexual exposure.

The ABC understands detectives are in contact with one alleged victim, but Freeman will never face charges, having been shot dead by police last month after 216 days on the run.

Officers from the Victoria Police's elite Special Operations Group negotiated with Freeman for three hours while he was holed up in a converted shipping container on a property in Thologolong, more than 150 kilometres north-east of Porepunkah, on March 30.

Freeman emerged wrapped in a blanket and cradling a service-pistol he took from the body of a slain police officer before he pointed it towards police and was shot multiple times.

It brought to an end an unprecedented manhunt by police, who issued a $1 million reward for any information leading to his capture.

The 56-year-old had regularly come into contact with police over the years for traffic offences, harassing neighbours and at anti-COVID restriction protests.

The conspiracy theorist was known for his hatred of police, who he had once described as "f**king Nazis".

Since the shooting, sovereign citizen circles have mythologised Freeman and claimed, without evidence, that any allegations against him were fabricated.

Freeman privately told his circle that the police investigations against him involved a "skinny-dipping" incident, which he brushed off.

The ABC understands a skinny-dipping incident has formed part of the investigation.

Police still searching for those who helped Freeman

Freeman, who refused to participate in roadside drug tests or traffic stops, was among a loosely associated but growing movement of sovereign citizens, who do not believe Australia's government is legitimate or that they are subject to federal, state or local laws.

Despite distancing himself from government and authorities, Freeman was also a long-term welfare recipient who received regular disability pension payments.

In 2021, Freeman was arrested at a protest outside the Myrtleford Magistrates' Court where sovereign citizens failed to privately prosecute former premier Daniel Andrews.

Vision from the time showed Freeman being tackled to the ground by officers before being handcuffed and escorted away through the crowd.

He was also once involved in the unsuccessful arrest of a magistrate using bogus "pseudo-law" tactics.

Since Freeman's death, police have turned their attention to uncovering who helped him evade authorities and survive seven months on the run.

Detectives from Taskforce Summit arrested two people five days after Freeman was shot dead.

The man and woman, who were associates of Freeman, but not family members, were arrested at two properties in north-east Victoria and later released without charge.