Coroner Greg Cavanagh sends suspicious death back to Northern Territory police

CORONER Greg Cavanagh has accused police of a substandard investigation into the death of a repeat domestic violence victim in Alice Springs

Coroner Greg Cavanagh has been critical of the police investigation into the death of Kwementyaye McCormack.

CORONER Greg Cavanagh has accused police of a substandard investigation into the death of repeat domestic violence victim Kwementyaye McCormack.

In handing down his findings into the death of the 31-year-old yesterday, Mr Cavanagh referred the case back to police and said he believed “offences may have been committed”.

Ms McCormack died from a stab wound in Alice Springs on March 29 last year in the presence of her partner Nathan Swan.

The inquest heard of a long history of Mr Swan bashing Ms McCormack.

Mr Swan has denied stabbing her and has repeatedly changed his story about how the wound came about.

“Throughout the inquest I heard not one scintilla of reliable evidence to suggest that Kwementyaye might have stabbed herself,” Mr Cavanagh said. Mr Swan was summonsed to appear at the inquest but “evaded personal service” and remained in Western Australia, reportedly on legal advice.

The inquest also examined the brutal lead-up to the murder of Alice Springs woman Kwementyaye Murphy.

The inquest heard police were called to 45 domestic violence incidents in 10 years between Ms Murphy and her partner Stanley Scrutton, who is now serving a life sentence.

“The circumstances ... raise a similar primary issue: why in the decade leading to both of these women’s deaths was the criminal justice system unable to stop the violence and their eventual deaths?”

Mr Cavanagh recommended domestic violence matters move faster through the court system. He also asked the Territory Government to consider alternative intervention programs other than the justice system and to consider legislation allowing police to better monitor repeat offenders.