Ngeygo Ragurrk inquest hears of ‘poor’ domestic violence responses from police

The domestic violence unit has revealed shockingly ‘poor’ responses by fellow police. ‘(It’s) their tone, quite clear they didn’t really believe it or really didn’t want to be there’.

NT Police Acting Sergeant Brodie Pardon, formally of the domestic violence unit, leaving the Ngeygo Ragurrk inquest on Wednesday, June 27.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the names and image of Indigenous people who have passed, used with the permission of their families.

Domestic violence victims have been met with contempt and rudeness by NT Police, with body-cam footage capturing dismissive, standover behaviour with survivors, an inquest has heard.

Acting Sergeant Brodie Pardon told the Ngeygo Ragurrk inquest that in training new recruits as part of the domestic violence unit, he had reviewed footage of “poor examples” of Territory cops interacting with vulnerable victims.

“I think we’ve all seen some poor examples of police responses,” Sergeant Pardon said.

“Speaking to victims … with contempt, being really rude, standing over them.

“(It’s) their tone, quite clear they didn’t really believe it or really didn’t want to be there.

“The recruits were shocked at some of the things they’d see.”

With domestic violence making up more than 80 per cent of call-outs and many victims refusing to make complaints, Sergeant Pardon said police often faced “frustrating” and “confronting scenes”.

“(But) if you’re not interested in providing a professional response to domestic violence then policing in the NT isn’t going to be for you,” he said.

These were not lessons he had as a rookie cop in 2010, or on the night he came face-to-face with Garsek Nawirridj, hours before he tortured and killed his wife Ngeygo.

Turning to look at her family, Sergeant Pardon apologised for not stopping him in time.

“I’m a much better investigator now, and had I known she was at such risk I would have done whatever I could to have done to stop that,” he said on Thursday.

“Again, I’m very sorry.”

The family of a woman killed by her husband at Mindil Beach on December 23, 2019 has provided an image of Ngeygo Ragurrk when she was 18 years old at Goulburn Island.

As a general duties officer on the morning of December 23 2019, Sergeant Pardon said he did not see the clear “red flags”.

He and three other general duty police officers failed to arrest Nawirridj, despite a two-hour period where he set a car alight, assaulted women, and threatened to turn a petrol station into a ball of flames.

Police have released police body cam of Garsek Nawirridj after he admitted to setting a car alight at Fannie Bay. He was not arrested on December 23, 2019 and later killed his wife Ngeygo Ragurrk.

Action was not taken despite the known domestic violence abuser’s erratic behaviours after “fighting with my missus”, or after he asked them to “take me to prison”.

“It’s not uncommon for drunk people to walk up to us and say lock me up for various reasons,” Sergeant Pardon said.

Sergeant Pardon said on a standard night general duties officers were moving “from job to job”, jumping into potentially volatile incidents without stopping to check for domestic violence notices or criminal histories.

“It’s all about resolving the incident and sort of moving to the next one, if I can be frank,” he said.

Sergeant Pardon said that system had to change, agreeing it would be beneficial for officers to make those checks and for a new alert system to get a “snapshot” of any domestic violence alerts.

The family of Ngeygo Ragurrk's lawyer James Lowrey, left, with coroner Elisabeth Armitage, counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer and Maria Walz take part in a ceremony at Mindil Beach, where on December 23 2019 the 40-year-old woman was killed by her partner Garsek Nawirridj. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Given that many victims and perpetrators were not formally in the Family Safety Framework, he said those alerts should include anyone with a significant domestic violence history.

Dr Dwyer said many of the domestic violence programs put the burden on victims to take action, rather than asking perpetrators to change.

“I‘ve got to tell you, officer, we are not hearing a lot about men standing up and calling

this violence out,” she said.

“We’re not hearing a lot about what is available for men to change their behaviour, rather than putting it on the victims to do something about this horrendous violence.”

Sergeant Pardon said more Men’s Behaviour Change programs would have a huge impact on domestic violence rates in the Territory, and helpful to stop the “revolving door” of reoffending.

“I’m only aware of men’s behaviour change programs that are court ordered, done in custody or through Community Corrections on house arrest,” he said.

The inquest continues on Friday.