Trigger warning: This post contains traumatic issues of rape and violence, so maybe triggering for some readers.
Police have been described as ‘delayed and ineffective’ in their response to a domestic violence incident that saw a 10-month-old baby die after being abducted by his mother’s partner.
Charlie Derschow-Mullaley was abducted and raped for 15 hours by Mervyn Kenneth Douglas Bell after he was taken from a Broome home in March 2013.
Bell was sentenced to a minimum of 27 years but took his own life in prison in 2014.
The incident has since been investigated and a report released that damns the immediate response by authorities.
A report by the Corruption and Crime Commission found the response to have been “delayed and ineffective.”
The report said that "vital information was not sought, obtained, recorded or passed on by police officers."
Despite its damning remarks, the report said its intention was not to place blame but to improve the police's response to domestic violence.
"Whether a more rapid response may have saved Charlie is impossible to know but it is important to recognise that Bell alone was responsible for Charlie's fate." The report said.
The report looked into the decisions made that affected the response and ultimately delayed the search in the key hours after Charlie's disappearance.
"Decisions regarding action to be taken were made without regard to key pieces of information which meant that the search for Charlie did not begin in earnest until several hours after his disappearance was reported." It said.
The aunt of the boy, Kathleen Pinkerton, said the report was not taken seriously by the police.
"[Charlie's grandfather] told them that Charlie was at risk but, as the CCC report states, he was not taken seriously and we have lost our beautiful baby boy." Pinkerton told The West Australian.
The report stated that poor individual responses contributed to a larger problem.
"Failures by individual officers on the night do not justify an opinion of serious misconduct." It said.
“Collectively, though, they contributed to a delayed and ineffective response."
The report ultimately said that while the Western Australia Police had 'good policies for domestic violence', they were 'only good when followed.'
Bell convinced a neighbour to hand the child over to him before driving almost 1000 km to the Fortescue Roadhouse where the 15-hour assault took place.
Charlie was taken the night after Bell severely beat his mother and left her on the ground, bleeding and naked, The West Australian reported.
Top Comments
Why wasn't the child removed from that family? Reverse racism: it's compulsory to place Aboriginal children with Aboriginal families, and there just aren't enough Indigenous foster families to take all the at-risk kids in. Sensible policy that puts the welfare of the child first is needed. If that means fostering Indigenous kids with non-INdigenous families who are culturally sensitive, that is what should be happening. (And before you jump up and down, I am Indigenous from another country besides Australia)
Damned if they no or damned if they don't. Come down hard and something will accuse the police of ' racism'- so probably easier just to keep your head down and hope nothing happens