According to Australian Associated Press reports Brodbeck phoned good friend Kim Brown crying and told her his boss was making him do things he didn’t want to do and that he wanted to escape Sydney.

The 32-year-old was shot dead in July 26, 2010 by Brinks security guard Radion Primanzon outside Dee Why RSL after he pulled out a pistol and demanded money from a Brinks cash security truck.

Brodbeck has served in the Royal Australian Navy and taken part in two peacekeeping missions in the Middle East as well as East Timor and the Solomon Islands. In 1988 he was awarded the Australian Active Service Medal.

At an inquest into Brodbeck’s death, Deputy State Coroner Paul MacMahon found that Mr Primanzon’s actions were “in the circumstance, reasonable”. “Nathan had been anticipating this incident for some time and I’m satisfied he did that with one or more persons,” Mr MacMahon said.

Police, according to AAP, have never found another person who may have been involved in the attempted robbery, but Mr Brodbeck’s loved ones told the inquest that they sensed something strange was going on with 

Leanne McIntyre had told the inquest her former boyfriend and his friend Russell Holmes had “a good joke” about how easy it would be to rob Brinks, where they both used to work.

“He said Brinks is so lax,” Ms McIntyre told Glebe Coroners Court on Monday.

“They both worked there, they knew the ropes.”

Ms McIntyre also said Mr Holmes had control over much of Mr Brodbeck’s money in the time leading up to his death, often leaving him without any cash.

“He was extremely depressed,” she said.

Mr Holmes, who also gave evidence, denied he was controlling Mr Brodbeck’s money and said he had nothing to do with the robbery.

Mr Brodbeck’s friend, Kim Brown, told the inquest he often cried to her on the phone in the days leading up to his death, and kept mentioning that his boss was getting him in too deep.

“He was desperate to get out of what his boss was getting him involved with.”

Ms Brown said he never mentioned the name of his boss or what kind of trouble he was in.

Fellow Brinks guard Raid Akkouche, who was at the scene of the robbery, said Mr Primanzon had acted in accordance with their training.

“If I was in his situation I may have likely done the same thing,” Mr Akkouche said.

Last year, former NSW policeman and former Brinks employee Franjo Vlado Santalab was jailed for up to five years for providing the pistol in the robbery.

The court heard at that time that the gun was not loaded during the robbery.