Phillip Island mum’s death sparks push for family violence changes

The state government has been urged to overhaul the way police and other authorities assess the safety risk of women experiencing family violence, after the horrific murder of Cowes mother Samantha Fraser.

The Victorian government has been urged to overhaul the way police and other authorities assess the safety risk of women experiencing family violence in order to save their lives.

State Coroner Judge John Cain on Friday recommended changes to the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Management framework (MARAM) after examining the circumstances of the horrific murder of Cowes mother Samantha Fraser six years ago.

A homicide prevention unit which assessed the circumstances around her death found that several life-endangering factors were excluded from a risk-assessment tool relied upon by police and health and welfare organisations to determine the harm or homicide danger faced by victims of family violence.

They include whether the victim has a new partner or the existence of pending court matters related to criminal charges brought by the victim.

Judge Cain found that despite Ms Fraser repeatedly seeking protection from her estranged husband Adrian Basham prior to her 2018 murder, authorities failed to recognise the increased risk she faced by preparing to give evidence against him in court over allegations he raped her.

Samantha Fraser was murdered by her husband Adrian Basham on Philip Island.

Basham brutally attacked Ms Fraser in her garage and hung her from a noose in an attempt to stage her murder as a suicide a week before the rape hearing.

Judge Cain found the MARAM framework relied on by authorities to assess family violence victims’ risk of impending or future harm does not list pending criminal charges brought victims as a factor for consideration.

It’s widely recognised that victims’ safety is at greater risk when seeking justice or protection.

Mother-of-four Fiona Warzywoda was stabbed to death by her partner Craig McDermott outside her lawyer’s Sunshine office barely an hour after she finalised a family violence intervention order against him in court a decade ago.

Fiona Warzywoda was stabbed to death by her partner Craig McDermott.

Judge Cain found the current MARAM framework also fails to ask victims if they have repartnered, despite evidence in past homicides where perpetrators killed over romantic jealousies.

Last May, bodybuilder Sven Lindemann stabbed his girlfriend Monique Lezsak to death using six knives in front of her 10-year-old daughter after discovering she was interested in another man.

Sven Lindemann stabbed his girlfriend Monique Lezsak to death.

Obsessed stalker Luay Sako murdered ex-co-worker and target of his twisted fantasies Celeste Manno just hours after she went public with her new relationship on social media.

Ms Fraser had also moved on with a new partner when Basham brutally ended her life after years of violence, intimidation and control.

Judge Cain recommended that state-run Family Safety Victoria which is responsible for the MARAM framework expand it to include repartnering and impending criminal matters brought by victims as factors for consideration when assessing victims’ risk of danger.

The state government will now consider coroner’s recommendations.

“We have led the nation in the work on preventing family violence, but when women are still dying at the hands of men we must do more, which is why we are delivering new reforms to change laws and culture to save women’s lives,” a government spokesperson said.

MARAM provides guidance on how family violence risk can increase in cases of separation or changes in relation to court matters such as parenting arrangements or orders among other factors.

More than 6000 organisations and 400,000 professionals across a broad range of sectors are prescribed under regulations to apply MARAM when dealing with family violence victims and perpetrators.

Basham was sentenced to life in prison for Ms Fraser’s murder. He will be eligible for parole in 2050.

There have been 58 women killed by violence in Australia this year – a rate of one woman every five days.