A former detective has made a surprising admission after an Aussie claimed to have spotted accused cop killer Dezi Freeman in Africa.Former police detective Charlie Bezzina has pushed back against claims that alleged cop killer Dezi Freeman was spotted in Cape Town.Freeman has been on the run since August 26, when two police officers — Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart and Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson — were gunned down at his Porepunkah property in Victoria’s High Country, while a third officer was injured.Investigators have recorded no verified sightings since, leaving open the possibilities that Freeman escaped interstate or overseas, is being sheltered, remains hidden in bushland near Porepunkah, or is dead.This week, a high-profile Melbourne businessman claimed he hadcrossed paths with Freeman in South Africaalmost three months ago.The 74-year-old, who preferred to go only by “Stuart,” described locking eyes with a man he believed to be Freeman at the busy Cape Town Waterfront on September 2, before the man darted off.But Mr Bezzina did not believe the sighting was credible.“I’d be very surprised if that were the case. Dezi Freeman is not an organised criminal – he wouldn’t have the connections to get a false passport,” the former detective told Nine’s Today.“Then you’ve got to get past facial recognition at all areas of departure in Australia.“It’s not unusual to get these types of sightings from any investigation, because how often do we go about our lives and see someone that looks like someone that we know?”

Mr Bezzina said if Freeman was truly hiding overseas, catching him would be a “matter of taking out an international arrest warrant through Interpol and then alerting all the authorities out there”.“Hopefully, if he is arrested overseas, he’s just extradited back, which shouldn’t be a problem.”Stuart reported the sighting to Crime Stoppers after returning to Melbourne from his South Africa holiday on September 4.He told theHerald Sunsomeone from the Summit Taskforce then called him, requesting he mark the exact location on satellite images.He claimed he had noticed five or six men heading his way during a walk on the Cape Town Waterfront, and they stood out from the tourists and families in the area.The witness’s attention was drawn to a man in the middle of the group, who appeared to be surrounded by the others acting like “bodyguards”.When their eyes met, the witness thought he recognised him.“It was the eyes. I recognised the eyes from the photos that I’d seen online. I made eye contact with the person I regard to be Dezi Freeman for two full seconds. Then he bolted. I reckon he ran because he realised that I had noticed him,” he said.A Victoria Police spokesperson has also dismissed Stuart’s claim this week.

“Taskforce Summit investigates every piece of information provided to police. Every lead is pursued. This avenue of inquiry has been investigated, is no longer viable and has been discounted,” the spokesperson said.But Stuart wasn’t satisfied, insisting, “I’m happy to be proven wrong, but I’m not sure they’ve done their homework”.“Have they gone over there and checked the CCTV in Cape Town? I’m still convinced it was Dezi. I just want justice like everyone does.”