Last month’s Margaret River murder-suicide has been labelled the worst mass shooting since Port Arthur, and one of Western Australia’s greatest tragedies. Seven’s Sunday Night shared a strange and some say even “cruel”, suicide note left by perpetrator Peter Miles, adding strange new details to the already devastating case.
Arron Cockman lost his entire immediate family in the masscare and has told Sunday Night that he’s, “not okay at all” in the aftermath. This is hardly surprising.
All of Mr Cockman’s four children, along with his estranged partner, were shot and killed while they were sleeping in their beds by their maternal grandfather, Peter Miles last month. Peter had also shot and killed his wife before turning the gun on himself.
Image credit: News Corp
Mr Cockman tells Seven’s Sunday Night reporter Denham Hitchcock that court orders following an acrimonious split between himself and his ex-wife, Katrina Miles, should have prevented his family from living on the property of Peter Miles and his wife. While we’re not certain exactly what the court orders entailed due to ongoing investigations, it is known that Peter was being treated for depression in the lead up to the murder-suicide.
In an earlier interview, Mr. Cockman insinuates that throughout their separation and the ensuing custody battle Katrina’s parents made things difficult.
“A lot of things that Kat did, through the court process, I’m pretty sure wasn’t her, at all,”
“Kat’s Mum said to me once, ‘You’ll see Kat will make sure that you and your parents will never see those kids again’.”
Mr Cockman said this statement was made to him when he first got cut off from his children: Taye, 13, Rylan, 12, Ayre, 10 and Kayden, 8.
Peter Miles suicide note
Image credit: Sunday Night
Mr Cockman believed that the Peter Miles saw the murder-suicide as a way to solve the ongoing problem of the care of the children and an end to the custody dispute.
Sunday Night then revealed the strange suicide note left by Mr Miles: “Ex-husband, Aaron Cockman to have house content. Peter Miles.”
Mr Cockman is now spending his time and energy to campaign for family courts to make “quicker decisions”.
“I’ve got nothing else now,” he told Denham Hitchcock.
If you or anyone you know is suffering, please contact Lifeline (lifeline.org.au) on 1311 14 or visit Headspace at (headspace.org.au). Visit Beyond Blue at (beyondblue.org.au) or call 1300 22 4636. You can also contact the Kids Help Line on 1800 55 1800.
