Bikie violence against women alarmingly six times as high

Police dispatcher sues state after hearing haunting final moments of Tara Brown’s life

Tara Brown’s remarkable return to Gold Coast touch football helps all survivors of DV

The 24-year-old took out a domestic violence order and went to a refuge but later left.

Her mother Natalie Hinton told The Courier-Mail that Patea joined the gang about four months into the relationship with her daughter.

“It (DV) definitely escalated once he went from saying he was an associate to becoming a prospect to becoming a sergeant-at-arms,” she said.

“I asked Tara to reconsider her decision to have a relationship with him but because of the domestic violence cycle, they woo them, buy things for them, make promises, then it comes around to the violence, the control, the threats.

“Tara found it hard to escape because of the threats against her family, her friends and she took those threats very real,” she said.

“Pretty much (he said) ‘if you don’t let me control you, I’ll start hurting you in other ways, which would be hurting your nearest and dearest’.”

Ms Hinton said many women weren’t reporting DV because of fears of how gang members would respond.

“I would say (to victims) you are a person, you are not a possession,” she said.

“They do not own you. You are human, you are a beautiful person.

The most dangerous time was leaving a violent relationship, Ms Hinton said.

The family has started the Tara Brown Foundation to help fundraise for crucial DV services such as women’s refuges.

“Tara escaped her relationship, she was put into a refuge but ... she did not have the support to let her know how important it was to stay in that refuge until she was safe.”

Ms Hinton said police were doing their best with limited resources and supported the new DV gang strategy as long as there was a safety net for victims.

She said a national domestic violence register should be set up.

Ms Brown’s stepfather Jonny Gardner said women didn’t know what they were getting into with gangs until it was too late.

He said more government funding was needed for DV.
“One common underlying thing is either police are vastly undermanned or a lot of reports are going unchecked or not given the attention they should,” he said.