Coroner dismisses Sargent story as rubbish

A missing army officer may have moved to Sydney to live with "powerful people" who would kill investigators, a witness told military police, but a coroner says that "sounds like complete nonsense".

Sean Sargent disappeared in March 1999 and in June that year Warrant Officer Allan James Williams interviewed Sean Mann, who had claimed he'd spoken with the lieutenant at the Sportsman Hotel on March 31.

At an inquest, Mr Williams said Mr Mann had told him Mr Sargent had moved to Sydney and anyone who went looking for him would be killed, to which Coroner John Hutton said "it just sounds like complete nonsense".