Confronting moment Matthew Leveson's parents show photos of their son's bones
Matthew Leveson's heartbroken mother has held up a photo of her son's bones, saying no parent should have to see their child's remains placed in a brown paper bag.
On Friday, many in the courtroom were left in tears after Faye Leveson delivered her closing statement to the inquest into her son's death, who was last seen leaving a Sydney nightclub with his older boyfriend, Michael Atkins, in September 2007.
She said she saw her son exhumed piece by piece three months ago before his bones were arranged on a dirty tarp on the ground.
"We had to watch them pack Matty up and place him in white cardboard boxes that were then walked past us and placed in the boot of a car," she told the NSW State Coroner's Court.
"Some of his bones were placed in brown paper bags and taken away on the final day of the search. No one should ever have to see that."
Ms Leveson spoke with anger about her son's then-boyfriend, Michael Peter Atkins, who last year agreed to lead police to Matthew's remains in exchange for immunity from contempt of court and perjury charges.
She held a photo of her son's bones on a table and another of him smiling for the camera and told Atkins' legal team: "I want you to look."
"If (Atkins) was truly genuine and loved Matt as he says, he would have told us where Matt was on September 23, 2007," she said.
"The only reason he gave us back Matt in May this year is because he was under threat of having to go to jail on perjury charges."
Atkins, now 54, was acquitted of Mr Leveson's murder by a Supreme Court jury in 2009.
Police offered him the deal to take them to Mr Leveson's remains in November 2016 after he admitted lying to police during their investigation and lying under oath while giving evidence to the inquest.
In a statement, Atkins gave a new account of the night Mr Leveson died, telling police he decided to bury the body to protect his reputation after he found his young boyfriend dead from a drug overdose.
Deputy State Coroner Elaine Truscott on Friday said she wouldn't force Atkins to give further evidence at the inquest. She said he'd consistently lied and had no credibility as a witness.
She noted if Atkins was shown to have lied in his most recent statement to police he could again be at risk of perjury charges.
"I think that prospect is more likely that not," she said.
However, she said calling Atkins for the purpose of exposing him to potential perjury charges was well outside her statutory functions.
The inquest has been adjourned until September 23.
