Inquest into the death of NW
Delivered on : 2 December 2024
Delivered at : Perth
Finding of : Coroner Jenkin
Recommendations :
Recommendation No. 1 :The Western Australian Police Force should consider making it mandatory for officers supervising Computer Aided Despatch tasks involving domestic and family violence to use the Supervisor Review Checklist developed by the Family Violence Division.
Recommendation No. 2 : Given the importance of ensuring a high quality response by police officers to incidents involving domestic and family violence, the Western Australian Police Force should consider making the face-to-face training developed by the Family Violence Division (i.e.: The Family Violence Learning Event) mandatory for all front line duty police officers. The Western Australian Police Force should also take all necessary steps to ensure that this face-to-face training is funded on an ongoing basis, whether by way of internal funding allocations, or by way of funding obtained from external agencies and/or the Treasury.
Orders/Rules : No
Suppression Order: On the basis that it would be contrary to the public interest, I make an Order under section 49(1)(b) of the Coroners Act 1996 that there be no reporting or publication of the name of the deceased. Instead, the deceased is to be referred to as “NW”.
Summary : NW was killed by her partner in Kununurra on or about 9 October 2021. She was 31 years old. NW’s remains were located at Lily Creek in Kununurra on 24 October 2021. Although NW’s remains were examined by two forensic pathologists and a forensic anthropologist, it was not possible to determine the cause of her death due to post mortem changes.
At the relevant time NW’s relationship with her partner was characterised by repeated incidents of domestic violence, some of which involved very serious assaults on her by him. During the evening of 9 - 10 October 2021, Police had received requests for assistance in relation to an alleged family and domestic violence incident involving NW.
The first request was made by NW’s mother who called emergency services at 9.46 pm on 9 October 2021 and told the operator that NW and her partner were at an address in Carbeen Street Kununurra. NW’s mother said it wasn’t safe for her daughter to be in the house, and she was worried the partner would assault NW because he was “an aggressive man” who had been drinking. Although police attended the address, NW and her partner were not there.
At 10.21 pm, the homeowner of the Carbeen Street called emergency services to report that a male and female (who she assumed were NW and her partner) were in her backyard and the female was sobbing. There was no police attendance following this call.
At 11.37 pm, police attended an address in Barringtonia Avenue where it was believed NW and her partner may have been. Although police attended the address, NW and her partner were not there. At 11.48 pm, this task was closed on the police system despite the fact that neither NW nor her partner had been located.
NW was not seen alive again after 9 October 2021.
On 18 October 2021, NW’s mother contacted police to advise that she had not seen NW for about two weeks. Police commenced their inquiries and a missing person incident report was created on 21 October 2021 in response to concerns for NW’s welfare.
When police interviewed NW’s partner on 23 October 2021, he initially claimed he and NW had broken up after she walked off from Carbeen Street on the night of 9 October 2021 and he had not seen her since. However, NW’s partner also told police he had seen NW twice in Kununurra since her disappearance. None of these statements by NW’s partner were true, and by the time he was interviewed NW had been dead for almost two weeks.
On 24 October 2021, community members discovered NW’s body in a shallow grave in bushland in the vicinity of Acacia Court, in Kununurra. Police were alerted, and NW’s remains were recovered and transported to the State Mortuary in Perth. As noted, the state of NW’s remains meant that her cause of death could not be ascertained.
NW’s partner pleaded guilty to NW’s manslaughter and on 17 November 2023 in the Supreme Court of Western Australia, and was sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment.
The coroner concluded that the police response to the suspected domestic violence incident involving NW was inadequate. However, the coroner was unable to find, to the relevant standard, that any failure by any member of the Police caused or contributed to NW’s death.
The coroner made two recommendations aimed at enhancing the police response to domestic and family violence incidents, both of which have been endorsed by the Police.
Catch Words : Unlawful killing : Family and domestic violence : Police response
Last updated: 17 December 2024