JC inquest: ‘Difficult’ life of woman killed by cop

The constable who shot dead a 29-year-old Aboriginal woman, as she ignored orders to drop a bread knife, fired a single bullet into her abdomen as she turned to face him, an inquest has been told.

Supporters outside Geraldton courthouse at the start of the inquest on Monday. Picture: Facebook

The constable who shot dead a 29-year-old Aboriginal woman as she ignored orders to drop a bread knife was behind her when he drew his gun then ran around her, firing a single bullet into her abdomen as she turned to face him, an inquest has been told.

Constable Brent Wyndham’s identity was suppressed when he gave evidence at his criminal trial in the West Australian Supreme Court in 2021 about the day he ­fatally shot the Ngarlawangga ­Yamatji Martu woman known for cultural reasons as JC.

The jury found him not guilty of murder and not guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Since then, the Supreme Court has lifted the suppression order on Constable Wyndham’s name, meaning that his evidence to JC’s inquest will not need to be censored to protect his identity.

Previously, media reporting on the case needed to exercise ­extreme caution when deciding whether to publish details that could lead to Constable Wyndham’s identification.

This included that he remains a serving police officer in the coastal farming town of Geraldton, where he shot JC in 2019.

Coroner Ros Fogliani will examine the actions of Constable Wyndham and other police in the moments before JC was shot.

On the first day of the inquest on Monday, counsel assisting Rachael Young SC said Judge Fogliani would also consider JC’s circumstances. Ms Young is ­widely considered one of Australia’s most skilful barristers. She has represented billionaire Andrew Forrest, the Paspaley pearling family and is currently defending Brittany Higgins in a defamation case brought by Ms Higgins’ former boss Senator Linda Reynolds.

On Monday, Ms Young ­described JC’s life as “short and difficult”. JC’s biological mother was reported to have drunk throughout her pregnancy, Ms Young said in her opening address.

At five months of age, she was brought into the care of Leslie Anne Jones, who became her ­foster mother. The Australian has confirmed Ms Jones is raising JC’s son.

“Sometime between 2004 and 2006, when JC was somewhere between 14 to 16 years, JC’s life became transient, moving between family in the northwest of Western Australia,” Ms Young said.

“She had no known employment history and lived on welfare payments. By about 2010, when she was 20 years, she had been diagnosed with drug-induced psychosis, schizophrenia and likely, although unconfirmed, foetal ­alcohol syndrome disorder. That began a long history of involvement with mental health services.”

In 2011, JC was twice admitted to Graylands psychiatric hospital in Perth with diagnoses of drug-­induced psychosis and anti-social personality disorder.

The following year, aged 22, JC gave birth to a boy.

In 2016, when her son was four, she was again admitted to Graylands and diagnosed with drug-induced psychosis, schizophrenia and substance abuse issues. She ­attempted suicide.

JC’s condition improved with treatment but she was well known to police and in trouble for mostly property crimes including home burglary. Police had warnings about JC on their internal system, including that she may injure herself or assault police.

She was in jail for most of 2016, 2017, 2018 and for the first nine months of 2019.

When JC was released from Greenough Prison near Geraldton on August 29, 2019, she quickly ­became very sick. She was dead 19 days later,

Soon after her release from prison, police took JC to the mental health ward at Geraldton hospital after she threatened to take her own life. She was so unwell she was taken by plane then ambulance back to Graylands, where she tried to bite staff as they sedated her.

A medical team noted JC’s problems included methamphetamine use, depressed mood and distress which may lead to suicidal ideation, and homelessness.

JC died before Geraldton police were issued with body-worn cameras. The only video record of her death is grainy CCTV footage from a house on the corner of Assen and Petchell streets in Geraldton. It is stilted and a long distance from the incident but shows the moment JC falls to the ground. Police find a bread knife and a pair of scissors on the ground.

This footage was played at Constable Wyndham’s trial. It was not played at the inquest on Monday but may be shown later when Constable Wyndham gives his evidence to the coroner.

In the footage, JC walks through a residential area in fading light with something in her right hand. It is 6.19pm. Within moments, four police cars and eight officers are on the scene.

The inquest is set down for two weeks.