It was easy for Raymond Noel Lindsay Thomas to "light up a room", his father says, as the Indigenous man was over two metres tall.
At the final day of an inquest into Raymond Noel's death following a high-speed police chase in suburban Melbourne, Uncle Ray said his son was a "beautiful " and "kind-hearted" man who was protective of his family, friends and community.
"Whenever he walked into a room he would light it up, because he was six-foot-eight," Uncle Ray told reporters outside the Victorian Coroners Court on Friday.
"He was affectionately referred to around the family and the community as the 'gentle giant'. He is deeply missed by us.
"This hole in our heart will never heal - it will be there forever."
Raymond Noel was killed just 21 seconds after the start of a high-speed police chase in June 2017.
The high-performance patrol car that pursued him accelerated from zero to 103km/h in five seconds and reached a top speed of more than 150 km/h during the incident.
Raymond Noel had left his house to buy cake mix and some chocolate from a Preston supermarket.
The 30-year-old Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Wiradjuri man had not been drinking or taking drugs and a police officer said there was "nothing about the driving that gave him any suspicions".
But he had been driving an unregistered vehicle with interstate plates in an area known to police as a criminal hotspot.
Sergeant John Sybenga, who was behind the wheel, said the reason he chose to pursue Raymond Noel was "hard to sum up" but he thought the car was "worth looking at".
"It was just dodgy," Sgt Sybenga told the inquest.
The officer was "at no time aware of his speed", counsel assisting Michael Rivette said.
Raymond Noel hit several parked cars before colliding with an oncoming vehicle driven by a man who was physically unharmed.
He was thrown from the car and suffered fatal injuries.
His father has now called for changes in Victoria Police pursuit policy before the final day of his son's inquest.
"We demand justice for Raymond and hope for changes of the police pursuit policies, so this doesn't happen to any other family," Uncle Ray said.
"We want those responsible to be held accountable and for them to realise the grief and trauma that they have caused through their actions in the pursuit on that night.
"The pain and suffering we are going through, we will go through for the rest of our lives."
Raymond Noel's death occurred after Victoria Police introduced a new pursuits policy in 2016, following a series of recommendations from coroner John Olle.
His recommendations followed an inquest into the deaths of teenagers Sarah Booth, 17, in 2006 and Jason Kumar, 15, in 2009.
The inquest examined the circumstances and appropriateness of the decision to follow Raymond Noel's vehicle, and of the decision by officers to instigate a pursuit.
It looked at whether the decision, having been made, was in compliance with the 2016 pursuit policy and the adequacy of Victoria Police's methods of ensuring officers involved in pursuits are trained and equipped to comply with the policy.
The court previously heard the two officers involved in the pursuit, Sgt Sybenga and Senior Constable Deborah McFarlane, were experienced and licensed to drive at unlimited speeds.
The inquest continues on Friday.
© AAP 2021