Cops did ‘nothing’ to help Aboriginal woman days before her violent death, Coroner rules

Police did ‘nothing’ to help a woman who had been held against her will and repeatedly assaulted before being killed by her partner, while ‘the contagion of domestic violence rages unabated’.

POLICE did “nothing” to help a woman who had been held against her will and repeatedly assaulted before being killed by her partner, while “the contagion of domestic violence rages unabated”, a coroner has found.

In handing down her findings into the death of the woman — referred to as Roberta at the request of her family — on Friday, Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage said her ordeal in the lead up to her death was “tantamount to kidnapping”.

Ms Armitage found Roberta’s partner, Lorenzo Deegan — who was later convicted of her manslaughter — subjected her to vile abuse for weeks before her death in June 2019, including threatening her with a concrete block raised above his head.

“When he violently assaulted her in the presence of family members on a main street in Katherine, no one reported it to police,” she said.

“When Roberta finally called the police, they did nothing to help her. To the contrary, the police members were rude to her and dismissed her complaints.”

Ms Armitage said the officers “failed to follow any of their procedures concerning domestic violence complaints” and “told her not to call again and she did not”.

“Two weeks after he found her and five days after she reported him to police, Roberta was killed by Lorenzo,” she said.

“She was killed in the ‘party house’ where he had been approved to live. She was killed after he had participated in an alcohol fuelled night, while she remained largely hidden in a bedroom and sober.

“Lorenzo’s seventh known assault on Roberta resulted in her death.”

A photo of Roberta supplied by her family.

Ms Armitage also found an “experienced and diligent” parole officer “remained oblivious” to Deegan’s repeated breaches of his parole through drinking and violence.

“The drinking and violence was occurring on some of the very same days Community Corrections were unsuccessfully attempting to conduct (random breath tests) and on a day when he attended a supervision appointment,” she said.

“Had there been better communication by Police and Territory Families with Community Corrections, there would likely have been further inquiries and additional collateral checks conducted by his (parole officer).

“However, Community Corrections did not think there was much more that they could have done to discover his noncompliance.”

The two police officers who gave evidence at the inquest, constables Andrew Schwede and Maverick Carver were internally disciplined after admitting to negligent, inefficient and careless discharge of their duties.

Ms Armitage said Roberta was the 65th Aboriginal woman to die by homicide in the NT since 2000.

“The contagion of domestic violence rages unabated,” she said.