Gary ‘Angry’ Anderson has broken his silence in a heartbreaking interview after his son’s death, slamming claims his son was best friends with the man accused of killing him in a violent attack.
Matthew Flame, 20, is accused of bashing 26-year-old Liam to death at Pavilion Park in the north Sydney suburb of Queenscliff on Sunday morning after the pair were spotted leaving a party together.
Now, devastated father and Aussie rock musician Anderson, 71, has spoken for the first time following his son’s death in an exclusive interview with the Daily Telegraph, alongside his eldest son Galen. He reportedly struggled to keep his composure and held back tears as he spoke to the reporter, insisting he knew virtually nothing about Flame before now.
“They were not best friends,” Anderson told the news outlet. “He wasn’t even in Liam’s main group of friends.”
The musician praised his son for always doing the “right thing” – something he had ensured he taught all of his children from a young age – and believes that’s exactly what Liam was doing when he accompanied Flame out of the party they were attending together.
According to court documents, seen by the Daily Telegraph, the group of friends had been partying together with alcohol and drugs involved, before it ended at a house party in the northern beaches.
When Flame reportedly tried to leave the party alone, amid fears he may have overdosed, it’s claimed in the documents that Liam and others tried to persuade him to stay – before Liam went with him to accompany him away from the party.
“Liam was trying to help him,” Anderson added. “He was such a decent human being.”
Emergency services were called to Pavilion Reserve just after 6am on Sunday, following reports of an assault. Officers arrived to find a man, who was later confirmed as Liam, unconscious having suffered serious head injuries.
According to reports, Liam was still being attacked when police arrived at the scene.
He died shortly after being airlifted to hospital via emergency helicopter due to the extent of his injuries. Detectives at the scene spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald shortly after the incident. They described the attacker as being violent with a number of police officers attempting to subdue and arrest him.
“It was quite a bloody scene,” Detective Inspector Michael Boutouridis told the publication. “Capsicum spray was used, OC spray, and significant force was used to arrest him.”
According to Perth Now, Angry Anderson was performing at a show in Perth at the Charles Hotel the night before the attack.
His manager later released a statement from the family, asking for privacy from the media and general public.
“Following the death of Angry Anderson’s son Liam in Sydney in the early hours of Sunday morning November 4, 2018, the family has asked that media and the general public respect their privacy,” the Twitter post read.
“With the matter in the hands of NSW Police the family will not be making any comment at this stage, nor are we as Anderson’s management in a position to offer any any comment on their behalf.”