Victorian police have identified the woman whose body was discovered in a “horrendous scene” in Melbourne’s inner north on Saturday morning.
The women, who was found near the North Park Tennis Club in Royal Park, has been identified as Courtney Herron, a 25-year-old woman of no fixed residence.
Impact for Women reports 24 women have been killed in Australia since the beginning of 2019, with the latest victim’s death marking the fourth killing of a lone woman in public in Melbourne in less than a year, The Age reports.
Most recently, 32-year-old Natalina Angok was found dead in Melbourne’s Chinatown in April after being murdered by a partner. In January, 21-year-old foreign exchange student Aiia Maasarwe was murdered after stepping off the Route 86 tram in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora.
And just under a year ago, Australians mourned the loss of Eurydice Dixon, the 22-year-old aspiring comedian who was murdered walking home from a late-night comedy show through Melbourne’s Princes Park.
At the time of publishing, police can't tell us why Courtney Herron died. She might be someone's mother, daughter, sister, colleague or friend.
What we do know is that police have described Herron as a "vulnerable" member of society who was couch surfing and sleeping rough, and that the post-mortem revealed she died as a result of "a horrendous bashing".
Police can, however, tell us is that it is not her fault.
Speaking to the media, Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius said, "Certainly there have been instances in our recent past where women have been attacked and they have been attacked by men. Violence against women is absolutely about men’s behaviour, it’s not about women’s behaviour."
"Every time I hear about a woman being attacked – for me as a man – it gives me some pause for reflection about what it is in our community that makes men think it's OK to attack women, or take what they want from women," he said, The Age reports.
"We need to reflect on our own behaviour, the behaviour of men known to us. We need to reflect on what we say to our sons, about whether they’re respecting their playmates in the playground, or respecting women in the early days when they’re looking to embark on relationships with women.
"We as a society need to take an opportunity to reflect on how men view women in our community, and ... tragedies where women have been attacked and suffered harm at the hands of men."
You can watch a snippet of Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius' statement in the video below, post continues after video.
This sentiment is vastly different from the one police gave the public following Dixon's murder – that women should "take responsibility for your own safety”.
At the time, the advice from Victoria Police Superintendent David Clayton – to take extra precautions and always be aware of surroundings – was interpreted by many as victim blaming. Especially because women are taking precautions everyday that the men in their lives will never have to think about.
This weekend, members of the public have begun laying flowers at the site where the woman's body was found. Police are hoping a post-mortem and CCTV footage will help them answer key questions about the 25-year-old's death, and have assured the public they "won't stop" until they've caught "the perpetrator of this horrendous crime".
“It’s the death of a woman, sadly, again in our city. This is a horrendous crime, as all murders are, and particularly the murders of women,” Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper said in a statement.
"This was a young woman who had significant challenges in life," he added.
"We as a community should be protecting these people and we didn't. We failed on this occasion."
For the time being, the message from police is this:
"Every man needs to reflect on what is it about our society and community that appears to continue to support some men – a small number of men – thinking it’s OK to attack women and cause women harm."
– More to come, with AAP.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at crimestoppersvic.com.au.
If you or someone you know is struggling, please seek professional help and contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. If you are in immediate danger, call 000.
Top Comments
Entitlement is taught from childhood and is subtle and pervasive. Men's entire life involves being taught that women are there for them. Then suddenly as adults they are told they are predators.
I'll quote now from one of my kids story books. "Sam decided he wasn't going to help the giants. "I think I'll explore the castle." he said. In one room, Sam found the princess. He thought she was beautiful. He gazed at her for a long, long time. Then he tiptoed out."
I've chosen not to get rid of the book but rather use it as a teaching point. However it's just one example. Most of the Disney princesses are sexually assaulted by the prince. Every romcom teaches if a girl says no then try harder and you will wear her down.
Fixing male entitlement is paddling up a waterfall in a leaking canoe with one oar. You can't undo a lifetime of social conditioning just by telling the adult products that they are wrong.
There needs to be a massive shift in pop culture. Media and art need to stop producing work that indoctrinates entitlement.
The men on here railing against and an article about yet another woman being murdered by a man and a statement of "men can do better" are exactly the men we should be frightened of. They have zero insight into reality as a woman. They have zero insight into their own behaviour. They are the ones we need to breed out.
The police officer at the centre of the story is a man, one we are celebrating for what he is saying. Can I assume he has zero insight into reality as a woman as well?
Sheesh
There have been people here for years (yes some are even men) who I think have politely contributed and added value to the general discussion.
It might be stats, it might be a different point of view, it might be humour - but singling out people is not cool.
That's not what this site is about - you can try Reddit for that