Coroner says Paul McDonald caused Qld woman Kirra-Lea McLoughlin’s death

She died with more than 100 injuries, but no-one has ever been charged. Now Kirra-Lea McLoughlin’s mum wants to know why, calling for a probe into ‘shortcomings’ of the police investigation into her death.

This man has more than 70 convictions for domestic violence offences, has choked, bashed and threatened multiple women – and now a Coroner says he is responsible for killing one.

Paul McDonald, 39, a man who a court heard once bragged “I have got away with murder”, could be one of Queensland’s worst domestic violence perpetrators.

The shockingly violent and cowardly past of McDonald has been revealed by a coroner investigating the death of mum-of-four Kirra-Lea McLoughlin, who died in 2014 suffering more than 100 injuries.

McDonald was never charged over her death but Deputy State Coroner Jane Bentley this week determined he caused the injuries that killed her – finding he beat and choked her then waited hours to call an ambulance.

A coroner has determined Paul McDonald killed his de facto partner Kirra-Lea McLoughlin. Picture Supplied

Kirra’s mother Alison Russell and high profile lawyer Peter Boyce have called for an urgent review of the investigation into her death in light of this week’s findings.

“(The inquest findings) couldn’t have gone better,” Ms Russell said.

“I think we’re all actually a bit gobsmacked but it was a very clear finding and it’s been very emotional. It was the best thing we could have hoped for.

“My hope now would be for the investigation to be handed to someone who has the experience and knowledge to come to the same conclusion (as the coroner).”

McDonald and Kirra met while they were working at a turkey farm, with McDonald moving into her Wolvi home in August, 2013.

The inquest heard their relationship soon turned violent, with neighbours later telling police she’d sent them a message saying “call 000”.

One neighbour would report “Mr McDonald was violent to Ms McLoughlin all the time” and that he would “follow her around the yard with a drink in his hand abusing her”, the inquest heard.

On July 16, 2014, McDonald, Kirra and members of his family had gathered at the Wolvi property to drink beer and wine.

That evening, Kirra got into an argument with McDonald’s sister, Tamiqua, that turned physical, the inquest heard.

The Coroner found Kirra was punched in the face multiple times, landing on a glass and timber cabinet.

Tamiqua has never been charged with any criminal wrongdoing.

McDonald intervened and Kirra threw a tin of red paint, getting it on them both.

An inquest heard McDonald’s mother arrived at the house soon after and collected her son and daughter.

A post-mortem found Kirra McLoughlin had more than 100 injuries when she died.

But the Coroner found McDonald returned to the house later that night, with neighbours hearing the arguing start again soon after.

The inquest heard Kirra was heard shouting “I don’t love you anymore” before screaming and banging erupted at the house.

Records show a call was made to 13 HEALTH at 2.46am but the caller hung up before an operator answered.

The health advice hotline was phoned again the following day at 2.06pm. McDonald told the operator his partner was unconscious and he believed she’d taken an overdose of antidepressant medication.

The operator told him to call Triple-0 immediately.

When paramedics arrived, they questioned McDonald about the bruises on Kirra’s face. The inquest heard he blamed his sister.

They undressed her on the way to hospital, finding more bruises on her thighs and forearms.

The inquest heard McDonald had a badly injured hand that he attempted to hide over the following days.

A post mortem examination would find 102 areas of bruising – 10 bruises on her head and neck, 24 on her trunk, 16 on her left arm, 18 on her right, 28 on her left leg and 17 on her right. It did not find evidence of an overdose, instead, Kirra is believed to have died due to a lack of oxygen or blood flow to the brain.

A police search of the house found the upturned cupboard, a hole in the toilet wall, a baseball bat out of place and a broken broomstick on the couch.

The house was in disarray, with dents in walls and one on the steel door of the fridge that had red paint on it.

Paul McDonald is currently in prison for a violent attack on a woman. Picture: Supplied

Coroner Bentley found that the punches inflicted by Tamiqua were “very unlikely” to have caused her death or the majority of bruises found on her body.

“I find that Mr McDonald has a propensity to inflict severe and serious domestic abuse, including coercive control of his partners,” she said.

“He becomes particularly violent when jealous or concerned that his partner may leave him.”

She said she is “satisfied” McDonald struck Kirra “numerous times” after returning to the house that night.

“It is possible that he pushed Ms McLoughlin’s head into the toilet wall as that hole was edged in red paint,” the coroner said.

“It is probable that he hit her head into the back of the toilet wall, struck her to the forehead (very possibly with a baseball bat) and hit the back of her head on the floor.

“It is likely that he struck her with a broomstick.

“It is highly probable that he choked her.”

The inquest heard McDonald was a prolific domestic violence offender and would go on to tell another partner he felt guilty his sister believed her attack on Kirra had caused her death.

“I have got away with murder and I’ll kill you if you ever say anything to anybody,” the inquest heard he told the woman.

McDonald is currently serving a prison term for a violent attack on that same woman. He is due for release in August, 2022 if he is not granted parole earlier.

Ms Russell said her daughter suffered horrific injuries and was almost unrecognisable when she arrived at the hospital to be by her side in her final hours.

“I walked in and as soon as I saw her face I just buckled,” Ms Russell said.

“She was beautiful and radiant, she was just so vibrant in every way and to see her lying there like that was awful.”

Alison Russell says she is gobsmacked at the Coroner’s ‘clear findings’ over the death of her daughter.

Ms Russell said her daughter was one of a kind who taught her that “it’s OK to be yourself”.

“Nothing’s ever going to bring her back but I feel like she’d be proud of what we’ve done fighting for her,” she said.

“The system failed her, the police beyond failed her, they gave the impression they really couldn’t care less and they treated her as such.”

Mr Boyce, who represented Ms Russell at the inquest, wrote to police Commissioner Katarina Carroll on Tuesday calling for the police investigation to be independently reviewed, warning there had been “significant shortcomings” and that a fresh inquiry may find prosecutors had sufficient evidence to lay charges.

“You will see from the evidence that Paul McDonald has an atrocious history of domestic violence,” Mr Boyce wrote.

“We believe that a completely independent review of this matter will see the investigation has many shortcomings, none the least of which is the failure to have evidence forensically examined.”

In a response from the Commissioner’s office on Wednesday, an officer said further information had been requested from the lawyers who represented the QPS at the inquest to help “properly inform” Ms Carroll.

PAUL MCDONALD’S HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

Coroner Jane Bentley said Paul McDonald’s criminal history revealed him to be a “serial perpetrator” of domestic violence with more than 70 convictions for DV-related offending. His history of violence was revealed in the inquest through by previous partners and police records. These are some of the examples of abuse against previous partners detailed in the Coroner’s findings:

AGAINST KIRRA

•In February 2014, after calling her mother to “help me”, police spoke to Kirra who told them McDonald had aggressively questioned her about her sex life and with every answer he had pushed or slapped her and called her a slut.

•That same night, a drunk McDonald demanded Kirra leave her children to drive him to buy more alcohol and he forced her into the car’s passenger seat. He ran into a tree and a fence and nearly drove off a bridge before allowing Kirra to drive but slapped her as she did so. He later slapped and shoved her in front of her children.

•In April 2014 a frightened Kirra locked herself in a bedroom but McDonald headbutted the door and ripped it off the hinges before shoving and abusing Kirra who he told: “You’ll get what’s coming to you”. The next day he threatened her, took her phone and attempted to disable her car.

•A neighbour that same month revealed Kirra regularly had bruises on her arms, legs, face and legs and had black eyes on occasion and he had threatened to kill her if she reported him to police.

AGAINST “K”

•Police attended 32 calls for domestic disturbances in their ten-year relationship.

•In 2005 he punched the woman in the face while she was pregnant and police witnessed blood coming from her mouth and scratches on her neck.

•In 2008 police were called to their home where McDonald had been accusing the woman of cheating on him. She told police he had grabbed her by the neck and threatened to slit her throat. Police noted red welts on her neck and reported her being visibly scared.

•In 2010 he grabbed the woman around the throat and threatened to punch her when he asked him to turn the music down so her child could sleep.

•In 2013 the pair had a fight and McDonald grabbed the woman by the throat. When they fell to the floor she was struggling to breathe and used a broken piece of ceramic to stab him in the neck, causing a small cut. Police observed bruising around the woman’s neck, a blood nose, minor lacerations to her hand and a large lump on her left eye to temple.

AGAINST “G”

•During their six month relationship in 2015, the violence “included threats to kill her and her family, strangulation, suffocation and rape”.

•In November 2015 he threatened to headbutt her but grabbed the woman in a headlock and squeezed her throat with his arm and also fractured two of her fingers.

•In December he threw a coffee cup and a wine bottle at her, causing a small laceration. Later he demanded she drive him to a bottle shop and on the way he grabbed the steering wheel five times, wrenching while telling at her to crash the car before she finally lost control and drove onto a median strip. He told her she was going to die and threatened to slit her throat.

AGAINST “J”

•In August 2018 the pair began seeing each other he “regularly assaulted” the woman and became “more controlling and abusive”.

•On one occasion, McDonald detained the woman in a tent against her will. He assaulted her and threatened to stab her in the throat with a tent peg. She escaped when he fell asleep and she cut a hole in the tent and went to a nearby restaurant and sought assistance.