Security contractors raised concerns about a colleague's "left-handed suicide" during a drinking session at the Australian embassy in Iraq but were told to keep quiet, an inquest has heard.
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Christopher Betts, 34, was a private security contractor at the Baghdad embassy when he died on May 12, 2016.
He fatally shot himself after a night of drinking with fellow Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade contractor, Sun McKay, in the embassy living quarters, the Brisbane Coroners Court has heard.
Mr Betts picked up Mr McKay's Glock 17 pistol, held it to his head and said: "It's time to play clear or not clear", Mr McKay has told investigators.
Mr Betts then pulled the trigger.
One of their former colleagues, Patrick O'Keeffe, was surprised by the small wound he saw on the left-hand side of Mr Betts' head during his autopsy, knowing the man was right-handed.
"I turned to (another colleague) and said 'that has to be the entry wound, it's on the left-side'," he told the inquest on Wednesday.
"He asked me if Chris was left-handed (and) I said 'no'."
The men voiced their concerns about the left-side wound to senior security firm staff upon returning to the embassy, Mr O'Keeffe said.
A meeting was called and the team was told "not to talk about what we'd seen".
He said he was left feeling it was okay to speculate Mr Betts' death was a suicide "but if you were to say 'Sun was a little crazy' ... or 'Chris would never do something like that', (then) immediately you were told not to say it".
Mr O'Keeffe said managers began describing the death as a suicide before Australian Federal Police arrived in Iraq to investigate.
"I was a bit shocked to hear this," he said.
"It was less than 12 hours since Chris had (gone) ... and the investigation wouldn't start for another three days," he said.
"To answer that question so quickly with a definite "Sun has done nothing wrong" told me what their narrative was from that point."
Mr O'Keeffe said he was told by Mr Betts that Mr McKay was "self-medicating" with Valium and harder pharmaceutical drugs.
Mr O'Keeffe said Mr Betts also raised concerns about the way Mr McKay handled firearms at the embassy.
"His exact words were "Sun f**** around with weapons ... he mentioned loading and unloading," he said.
On the night Mr Betts died, Mr O'Keeffe was woken about 3am and told there had been a shooting at the embassy.
"My first thought was Sun had shot Chris," he said.
Australian Federal Police were unable to determine if the death was caused by misadventure or suicide.
But Mr Betts' family raised concerns about Mr Sun being in the same room and the absence of a suicide note.
"They were concerned Sun had killed Chris," Australian Federal Police Detective Sergeant William Freeman has told the inquest.
The inquest continues.
Australian Associated Press
