Police officer killed in engagement party accident was about to become dad

13 March 2024 , 11:08

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Lilly Watts expressed her heartache at losing Liam Trimmer (Image: Family handout)

A Brit who died in a horror accident at his engagement party was about to become a father, it has emerged.

Liam Trimmer and his partner Lilly Watts had only told friends and family the news at the bash moments before Mr Trimmer's accident. The 29-year-old man fell and cut a major artery in his neck at his home in Fremantle, Western Australia.

Loved ones, including Ms Watts, who is a nurse, dashed to help Mr Trimmer but the police constable was declared dead at the scene on Sunday. It has now emerged Ms Watts had just told the gathering she is expecting Mr Trimmer's baby. It is believed she is 14-weeks pregnant.

Speaking on Wednesday, Ms Watts said: "He will always be the love of my life and our baby will know the wonderful man he was... I have never known a love like Liam’s and this heartbreak and emptiness is just so overwhelming."

A report into Mr Trimmer's death will be prepared for the coroner. The cause of the accident has not been confirmed. Mr Trimmer was originally from the UK but he moved to Australia in 2013 and joined the police force. He is said to have made a great deal of friends through work and by playing rugby regularly in Western Australia.

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Mr Trimmer, 29, moved for a new life in Australia and became a police officer (Family handout)

A GoFundMe page has been created to raise money for Ms Watts. Her close friend, Mel Kelly, started it and said Ms Watts is bereft, having lost her "soulmate". Writing on the page, Ms Kelly said: "Lilly’s world was shattered by a freak accident that claimed the life of her beloved fiancé,' the fundraiser read.

"The evening was meant to be a joyous celebration of Lilly and Liam’s recent engagement and announcing their pregnancy, a huge milestone in their journey together. Friends and family gathered to share in their happiness. In a cruel twist of events, Liam’s life was cut short leaving behind a void that can never be filled."

Mr Trimmer served in several posts while he was in the force including in regional parts of the state and took part in "Movember" with officers from Kalgoorlie Police station. In the days following his death, friends and colleagues took to social media to pay tribute to Mr Trimmer.

One friend described him as "possibly the fittest bloke" in a local trekking group. They wrote: "Great sense of humour with a passion to excel. In my opinion, society can ill-afford to lose guys like Liam [who had] the courage to charge into the furnace on a daily basis, dealing with the 'heavy duty side of policing. The boys are hurting this week, but they have cracked on with major training exercises and domestic operations."

Bradley Jolly