Gordon James

DETAILS OF DEATH

Loft on speed-detection duty died from injuries he sustained after a motor vehicle struck him on Gorge Road Athelstone. Police arrested the vehicle’s driver whom they charged with cause death by dangerous driving. Although convicted and sentenced to four years’ imprisonment with a two-year non-parole period he won his release on home detention after six months. Loft left behind his wife Pauline killed in a car accident the following year and daughter Melissa. His father Des continues to pay tribute to his son at the Police Remembrance Day memorial service at Fort Largs every year. “The loss of a person is like a big hole in any family” he told the Police Journal in 1998. “I’ve got a great affection for the South Australian police (and) not solely because my son was killed as a policeman. Many of them find themselves in danger and do get injured. To me they’re a great group of men and women.”