Horrific history of violence committed by Charles Evans against Alicia Little before he killed her

Alicia Little, who was killed by her ex-partner in Kyneton, was wrongly charged with domestic violence and “misidentified as the primary aggressor” before her death.

Police wrongly charged Alicia Little with domestic violence against her abusive ex-partner before he killed her in an error her family believes stopped her from going to authorities.

Charles Evans admitted to killing Ms Little, 41, after he drove over her and left her for dead at their Kyneton property on December 28, 2017.

In a deal with prosecutors, his murder charge was downgraded to dangerous driving causing death and failing to render assistance, and his Victorian licence was suspended for five years.

Evans is already out of jail after serving 2 years and 6 months behind bars, and lives in QLD where he has a drivers’ licence and lives on the same street as Ms Little’s family members.

Outside the Coroner’s Court on Thursday, Ms Little’s shattered family said the police’s error in charging their daughter and sister led to Evans threatening her that if she went to police again he’d have her charged.

State Coroner Judge John Cain detailed a horrific history of violence committed by Evans against Ms Little for almost their entire relationship before he killed her in what His Honour labelled a “homicide”.

Alicia Little’s mother Lee and Alicia's eldest child Ariki. Picture: Mark Stewart

The Coroner’s Court heard how Evans called police on May 7, 2015, claiming he’d been forced to restrain Ms Little, who was recorded in the background begging him to get off her throat because she couldn’t breathe.

Judge Cain stated that Ms Little later told authorities “she thought she was going to die during the incident” while Evans said he “wasn’t scared”, with her injuries showing she’d been acting in self defence by biting him.

Ms Little was found to have suffered a fractured rib and bruising and was treated for her injuries in hospital.

But police charged her with intentionally and recklessly causing injury to the man who would go on to kill her just two years later.

Judge Cain said after this, Ms Little “didn’t report any further family violence to police” – but did make disclosures to family and friends – and told a counsellor “she had lost faith in police and the system”.

Ms Little’s mother Lee agreed the charges against her daughter – later dropped by prosecutors – were crucial to her not making further reports against Evans to police.

“She was called the perpetrator, but he was the one that was bashing her,” Lee said outside court.

She said Evans’ continued violence against her daughter was “never ever recorded” because “he kept on saying, ‘You go to the police and I’ll have you charged with assault’.”

Judge Cain said Ms Little’s “misidentification as the primary aggressor” had remained in the police database.

His Honour found Victoria Police had since changed its manual on identifying primary aggressors, while the force was still “considering” other crucial changes recommended by the Family Violence Royal Commission six years ago.

Ms Little continued to report Evans’ violence against her to family, her GP and a private psychologist during eight sessions the year she died.

Charles Evans and Alicia Little.

She told the psychologist of how she suffered a history of family violence and “did not trust” Evans.

Judge Cain found the psychologist’s “failure to further assess the risk represented a missed opportunity to re-engage Ms Little with family violence support”.

His Honour recommended that private psychologists should undertake mandatory family violence training so they could identify clients at risk.

Welcoming the Coroner’s findings, Lee said they finally showed Evans was a domestic abuser when his court case never referred to his history of violence because it wasn’t relevant to his driving charges.

“I’d like a national register (of domestic violence offenders) – perpetrators can go interstate and live a new life,” Lee said.

“He lost his licence for five years, he’s now in Queensland living another life and driving.”

Judge Cain told Ms Little’s family: “I know you are pursuing other avenues to bring about change and I wish you well in those endeavours”.