Miss Yunupingu domestic violence coronial to explore ‘inevitable’ risks surrounding abuser’s release

A coronial investigation into the killing of a young Territory woman stabbed through the heart will begin in Darwin this week.

A young Territory woman’s story will finally be told five years after the man she loved plunged a knife through her heart.

On Monday coroner Elisabeth Armitage is expected to open the coronial investigation into the killing of a 29-year-old woman, known for cultural reasons as Miss Yunupingu.

She is one of four Territory women whose stories are being explored as part of one of Australia’s biggest ever coronial inquiries into domestic violence.

According to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures an estimated 22,300 women in the Northern Territory — 31 per cent — have experienced violence, emotional or economic abuse at the hands of their partner.

And of the 79 Territory women killed by a current or former partner, 93 per cent have been Aboriginal.

On Monday coroner Elisabeth Armitage is expected to open the coronial investigation into the killing of a 29-year-old woman, known for cultural reasons as Miss Yunupingu.

The brutality of the abuse Miss Yunupingu lived under was revealed in February 2020, when her killer Neil Marika was sentenced to nine years in prison for her manslaughter.

The Supreme Court heard Marika repeatedly stabbed the 29-year-old in a drunken rage on October 4, 2018 — just a month after being released from prison for breaching a domestic violence order against her.

Justice Peter Barr said following Marika’s seven-hour drinking session, the 35-year-old got into a “heated argument” with his partner.

The court heard Miss Yunupingu pointed at a serrated steak knife and yelled: “I’ll kill you with this knife.”.

Justice Peter Barr said following Marika’s seven-hour drinking session, the 35-year-old got into a “heated argument” with his partner. Picture: NT Courts

But it was Marika who grabbed the blade before stabbing her three times — with the fatal blow going through her heart and lung.

“It speaks of a great deal of anger on your part, which was no doubt alcohol-fuelled to a large extent,” Justice Barr said.

The Supreme Court also heard in graphic detail the years of torment Miss Yunupingu was exposed to — and how Marika was part of an intergenerational cycle of violence.

Justice Barr said the Nhulunbuy man himself grew up in an abusive home and had watched his father and other male relatives “regularly spent time in custody for crimes of violence against women”.

Only a year into their relationship, Marika’s violent, jealous and drunken rage landed Miss Yunupingu in the emergency department of Gove District Hospital in 2006.

The court heard the then 22-year-old man threatened the 16-year-old girl with a spear, chased her, dragged her to the ground by her hair before laying into her with a barrage of punches and kicks.

As she screamed out for help with blood dripping from her face, Marika picked up a large aluminium garbage bin and slammed it into her head and body.

“The heavy blows you delivered to her left side caused a collapsed lung, with blood and air in the chest cavity,” Justice Barr said.

“She underwent emergency lifesaving treatment.”

The Gove Hospital Emergency Department where 16-year-old Miss Yunupingu was taken following an assault by her partner.

Marika was sentenced to four years and six months for the assault — but Justice Barr said it was just “the first of many occasions”.

Justice Barr outlined a cycle of Marika assaulting Miss Yunupingu, breaching domestic violence or other court orders, being imprisoned, released and reoffending.

He said over their 12 year relationship she was stabbed with scissors, pushed, punched and kicked — and those were just the assaults Marika was convicted over.

“It is clear that your relationship with the deceased was marred by repeated violence on your part towards her,” Justice Barr said.

Despite all of this, the coronial inquest has heard that Miss Yunupingu was never formally admitted to the ‘action-based integrated service response’ designed to help victims of family violence.

Despite the NT introducing the Family Safety Framework in 2012, the coroner has heard many victims and perpetrators were not formally in the system.

In July counsel assisting the coroner Peggy Dwyer said Miss Yunupingu was the only one of the four women ever referred to the framework, but was not accepted.

In July counsel assisting the coroner Peggy Dwyer said Miss Yunupingu was the only one of the four women ever referred to the framework, but was not accepted.

“She was re-referred and then not accepted on to the Family Safety Framework and we want to try and understand why that was,” Dr Dwyer said.

Dr Dwyer said the upcoming August inquiry would look into the services offered by women’s shelters in Nhulunbuy and in Darwin.

“And planning for the risks that did arise — and appear to be inevitable — when Mr Marika was released from custody,” she said.

“Because Miss Yunupingu was killed very soon after he was released.”

Miss Yunupingu’s coronial inquest is expected to begin on Monday and continue for the entire week.

Originally published as Miss Yunupingu domestic violence coronial to explore ‘inevitable’ risks surrounding abuser’s release