Possible gay hate murder likely to remain a mystery
What happened that left Peter Sheil dead at the bottom of a cliff in Sydney's eastern suburbs may forever remain a mystery thanks to repeated failures by police to uncover the truth.
The 29-year old's partially undressed body was found on the morning of April 29, 1983, in an area of coastal track between Coogee and Clovelly known as a gay beat.
On Tuesday, an inquiry into gay hate crimes in Sydney heard that the evidence is insufficient to determine whether Mr Sheil jumped, fell or was pushed from the cliff.
Counsel assisting the commission, Meg O'Brien submitted only that Mr Sheil's official cause of death be recorded as, "cervical spine injuries sustained in a fall".
"In circumstances where he was walking through or near a beat shortly before his death, it is possible that Mr Sheil was mistaken for a gay man and attacked by persons unknown for that reason," Ms O'Brien said.
"However, there is no direct evidence to substantiate that hypothesis."
Several years later, the area near where Mr Sheil was found would become the scene of several targeted LGBTIQ murders and suspected murders in which young gay men were thrown from cliffs.
According to Mr Sheil's brother, he did not identify as gay, although he could be "gregarious and reckless" and may have been mistaken as being gay.
At the time of his death, Mr Shiel had been struggling with mental health issues believed to be possible bipolar disorder or schizoaffective disorder, however according to his doctor he denied having suicidal intent.
As an outpatient at Prince of Wales Hospital, he had been staying in a rehabilitation unit known as the Clovelly Flats, where he was on medication and his condition was reported to be improving.
When his body was found, police noted Mr Sheil's shirt that was open at the front, and his pants and underwear were around his hips with the belt and fly undone.
Nearby, police recovered a "magazine of a sexual nature", the specifics of which are not contained in police records.
An autopsy revealed a 1.5cm laceration to Mr Sheil's scalp, abrasions on both shoulders, the left buttock and the left hand, and bruising on both knees.
From this evidence police concluded Mr Sheil may have been pleasuring himself when he slipped from the rock outcrop and fell to his death.
An initial week-long investigation into Mr Sheil's death apparently failed to take testimony from key witnesses including Mr Sheil's mother, believed to have been the last person to speak with him.
Ms O'Brien noted Mr Sheil may have been urinating at the time he fell, which would explain his partial undress, or that the clothes may have become dislodged during the fall.
