The mother of Earthcore festival founder Spiro Boursine, who died in police custody last weekend, has shared some emotional words about his death.
Speaking with The Age, Christine Boursinos said her son worked “24 hours a day” to organise the annual Earthcore doofs over the years, despite never profiting from them.
“He wants to make everything for anyone else,” she said. “He never makes any money, he never married, he give all his life to organise whatever he organised. In the end he had so many enemies, so many jealous people, and they push him to the edge.”
The devastated mum said that Spiro was crippled by debt and was living with her at the time of his death.
“He’s got a lot of jealousy… like he was a millionaire. He was always in debt,” she said.
“He’s a lovely boy… he’s not a violent person. He sleeps here, next to my room. I give him breakfast. He never even had a car to drive.”
The circumstances surrounding Spiro Boursine’s tragic passing last Saturday night remain shrouded in mystery. What is known is that police were called to Melbourne’s Antique Bar following reports that a man was assaulting patrons, and arrived to find the 45-year-old being restrained by patrons.
They placed him in custody, after which he reportedly lost consciousness.
“Police attempted to revive the man until Ambulance Victoria arrived and took over. Despite the efforts of emergency service personnel, the man died at the scene,” a police statement read.
Now, Boursine’s mum is demanding a full investigation into the fatal incident, arguing that an ambulance should have been called earlier.
“Why did they let him die on the floor in that place? He was only 45 years old,” she said.
“They let him die like a dog on the floor.”
Antique Bar owners have declined comment as the matter is still under police investigation.
Police initially reported that Boursine’s death was being investigated by the homicide squad and overseen by Professional Standards Command, but they have since refused to comment on whether or not it is being treated as suspicious.
A spokeswoman has confirmed to The Age that a post-mortem has already been conducted on Boursine’s body.
Meanwhile, a documentary about Boursine — who was reportedly in financial trouble and had a number of disgruntled creditors at the time of his death — is also reportedly in the works.
Earthcore is set to celebrate its 25th anniversary this year, with the festival taking place from Thursday, 22nd November to Sunday, 25th November.
Spiro’s colleagues at the event have released a statement on Facebook since his death, which reads simply: “Watch this space…. ‘The show must go on’,” alongside a planet emoji and a broken heart emoji.
