In the months before her death, Kardell Lomas repeatedly sought help – from domestic violence support services and the police – to escape the violent and dangerous man who killed her. She had 24 interactions with various agencies and she repeatedly disclosed fears for her safety, death threats, serious violence and other abuse.
A coroner’s finding detailed some of the events of those last few months. But it did not interrogate the actions of police in the lead-up to her death. It did not unpack what her family and First Nations experts believe is clear evidence of systemic racism in the way authorities and services responded to Kardell’s attempts to seek help.
The coroner declined to hold an inquest because “there does not appear to be any prospect of making recommendations that would reduce the likelihood of similar passings occurring in future”.
Her family now wants answers. Why did everyone fail to protect Kardell? And why have those failures not been investigated?
Watch the full documentary Broken Trust on Guardian Australia.
In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org
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