Families of domestic violence victims demand action to stop deadly toll

POLICE have this morning released figures on the number of South Australians who have died so far this year as a result of domestic violence, as public pressure mounts to tackle the deadly toll. Three tragic cases: What the survivors say

Adeline Yvette Rigney-Wilson, Corey and Amber, Zahra Abrahimzadeh, Glenys Heyward, Graziella Daillér and Jackie Ohide.

• THE ADVOCATE: Why Arman Abrahimzadeh is driven by desire for change
• THE EYEWITNESS: Domestic violence is tearing families apart and we must speak out
• TRIPLE TRAGEDY: Grieving grandmother says Families SA should have intervened before Hillier murders
• SOCIAL WORKERS: Child protection authorities visited Hillier family hours before their deaths

AT least seven South Australians have died as a result of domestic violence so far this year, and six last financial year.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens revealed the figures this morning after SA Police media had previously told The Advertiser it was “not in a position to release” the information.

Mr Stevens said requests by The Advertiser — first lodged in late April — had not reached him until now.

State Coroner Mark Johns yesterday questioned why police were unable to say how many South Australian women and children are dying as a result of domestic violence.

In the wake of the alleged murders of Adeline Yvette Rigney-Wilson and two of her children on Monday, relatives and friends of family violence victims have expressed frustration that women continue to die at the hands of their partners.

Anecdotal tallies show at least 31 women have been killed around the country this year but it is extremely difficult to extract reliable, state-based information from authorities.

Under questioning from reporters this morning, Mr Stevens said police keep “detailed” statistics on domestic violence and had provided reports to Attorney-General John Rau and Police Minister Peter Malinauskas.

However, he could not discuss those reports because they had been prepared for state Cabinet.

Asked again how many women and children had died as a result of family violence, Mr Stevens said: “I don’t think that number is a secret. Last financial year there were six deaths that we can attribute to domestic violence-related murders. This year so far there have been about seven.”

Asked why he could not reveal the information earlier, Mr Stevens said he would not expect SA Police spokespeople to release comment on his behalf without “sufficient approval”.

He said The Advertiser’s request had not made it to his office “until this point in time”.

Mr Stevens was asked by members of Parliament’s Social Development Committee in late October last year to provide statistics on the number of deaths of women and children caused by family violence. He said he would bring the information back to the committee.

In late April The Advertiser asked SA Police for an update. A spokesman responded in early May that it had “provided the select committee with that requested information for publication at their discretion”.

However, committee chairwoman Gail Gago said it had not been received. In response to follow-up questions put to SA Police, the spokesman said in mid-May that SA Police was “not in a position to release” the information.

Instead, he provided 2014 data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics which show there were five victims of family and domestic violence-related homicide offences in SA that year.

The Government promised in 2014 to establish a database that would bring together statistics on domestic violence-related deaths and offences.

A researcher in the Coroner’s office has begun compiling the database but information will not be made public until the 2015-16 annual report is released later this year.

Mr Johns has warned there are only “meagre” resources allocated to his office to collect statistics on domestic violence-related deaths and argues police should be able to produce the data.

And he warns that it is impossible to address this social scourge without knowing the true extent of the problem.

Mr Johns told The Advertiser there was “no reason” why police could not keep track of deaths which occurred in a context of family violence. He said: “There must be a vast amount of documentary information existing in SAPOL right now on this topic.

“Any person who’s got a will to do so could put together the necessary information. I would have thought that’s the very task that a body like SAPOL could do.

“I fully concede that it’s an extremely important task that ought to be done. How can you fix a problem if you can’t quantify it?”

Mr Johns added: “If the priority is to gather together this data ... then it’s a matter for the Government to provide the necessary resources for that to happen.”

When contacted, a police spokesman directed The Advertiser to Police Minister Peter Malinauskas. Mr Malinauskas did not answer questions about whether he was concerned that data on domestic violence-related deaths was not readily accessible or if he believed it should be.

Instead, a Government spokeswoman issued a statement saying police “give the highest priority to the protection and ongoing safety of victims and their children”.

Victims’ Rights Commissioner Michael O’Connell described domestic violence as “an insidious, complex and pervasive crime”.

“Violence in all its forms is unacceptable, but to be violated and abused by a person you place your love and trust in is intolerable and the ultimate betrayal,” he said.

Arman Abrahimzadeh, whose mother Zahra was murdered by her estranged husband in 2010, lamented the death of yet another mother, and her children.

“The sad truth about domestic violence is that it doesn’t discriminate and it infects many Australian homes,” Mr Abrahimzadeh said.

Natasha Palmer, whose mother Graziella Daillér was killed by her partner in 2014, said the alleged triple murder had highlighted “everything that needs to change and still hasn’t changed” about the response to family violence.

Richard Childs, the brother of Glenys Hayward, who was murdered by her husband in 2007, said education was the key to reducing domestic violence.

“People have got to stand up and take responsibility and take a deep breath and think about what they are doing,” he said.

Premier Jay Weatherill last night expressed his sadness at the “latest tragedy”, saying he was “sick at heart at the number of times women and their children die at the hands of their partners. My thoughts are with the family, friends and community involved.”

THREE TRAGEDIES: RELATIVES AND FRIENDS SPEAK OUT

GLENYS HEYWARD

THE brother of murdered mum Glenys Heyward says teaching respect to young boys is the key to stopping the spiralling toll of domestic violence deaths.

Richard Childs said he was saddened at this week’s tragedy and frustrated that women continued to die at their partner’s hands, almost a decade after his sister’s murder.

Glenys Heyward.

Glenys Heyward, 53, was abducted and murdered by her partner, Neil Heyward, in July 2007, after being lured to a vacant Mt Gambier home by youngest son Matthew Heyward.

Neil took his own life in prison awaiting trial, while Matthew and farmhand Jeremy Minter — who helped Neil assault and put Ms Heyward in a wheelie bin — are serving life prison terms for murder.

Mr Childs applauded new TV advertisements highlighting the importance of teaching young boys respect for girls and women.

“Education of the young kids is really important to me, people have got to stand up and take responsibility and take a deep breath and think about what they’re doing,” he said.

Mr Childs said perpetrators should be punished harshly but emphasised that early education was vital.

JACKIE OHIDE

“NOW is the time that those of us who are safe and privileged enough to enjoy our freedoms to take a stand.”

Those are the words Lindsey Webb has used to inspire change. She lost her best friend of 20 years, Jackie Ohide, to a senseless act of domestic violence at her Hackham West home on March 15, 2015.

Jackie Ohide

Ms Ohide’s partner, Toby Awatere, has admitted to the Supreme Court he killed his partner but has pleaded not guilty to murder.

The loving mother is survived by two sons — Tariq and Arapeta — aged two and four respectively at the time their mother was taken from them.

“No amount of time will ever make sense of this devastating, unnecessary and senseless act,” Ms Webb said.

She has often thought about other SA families devastated by domestic violence.

“It has affected their lives in a way that no amount of words can explain,” she said.

“While I don’t know them personally, our pain is the same. Enough is enough. I urge you all to take action — get involved in eliminating violence in our communities.”

GRAZIELLA DAILLÉR

NATASHA Palmer finds it hard to watch the news these days because the consequences of family violence are so frequently in the headlines.

Ms Palmer’s mother Graziella Daillér was found murdered in her rented Encounter Bay home in May 2014. Her killer, Dion Muir, took his own life.

Encounter Bay murder victim Graziella Daillér

Ms Palmer said she was frustrated that little had changed since her mother’s murder “except it used to be one woman a week (dying) and now its two women a week”.

“(Victims) are too scared to ask for help most of the time,” she said.

“People don’t know about the services that are available.”

In Ms Daillér’s case, an interim intervention order had been issued against Mr Muir but he was repeatedly allowed to harass her.

Ms Palmer and her two siblings said he had vandalised her workplace, drove past her house and wrote to her while in custody.

The children said their mother tried to seek help to leave the relationship but was let down by a system which let Mr Muir out on bail.

They said domestic violence offenders must be dealt harsher punishments, and their victims taken more seriously.