THE ISSUES

THE coroner will hand down findings on the main issues which were laid bare in the Alva Beach inquest.

1. WHETHER PARAMEDICS DID THEIR

JOB PROPERLY

Evidence at the inquest revealed an ambulance was waiting 500m down the road for more than 30 minutes the night the men were stabbed.

The paramedics were staged, waiting for police to arrive and make the scene safe, after Mr Webber called for an ambulance at 12.24am to treat Ms Locke’s injured shoulder.

Queensland Ambulance communication centre flagged the “urgent” job with police, after Mr Webber mentioned men yelling outside his door, which made him feel unsafe.

But 30 minutes passed and paramedics did not proceed, despite more calls that two men had been stabbed.

2. WHETHER POLICE DID THEIR JOB PROPERLY

The police communication centre received the job from Queensland Ambulance Service after Mr Webber’s first triple-0 call, which was flagged as “urgent”.

But the operator ranked it as a “code 3”, or routine job, with no urgency.

This decision was a wrong one, according to a number of witnesses at the inquest.

The officer who classified the job, Senior Constable Michael Arope, said in court that he stood by the decision.

It is expected the coroner will determine the code 3 classification ultimately played a huge part in the non-urgent response to the unfolding incident at Alva Beach.

The crew at Ayr police station picked up the job shortly after it came through.

Senior detective Gavin Neal decided that he and another officer would head towards Alva Beach after completing another task.

They estimated to get there about 20 minutes later. In that intervening period, Mr Webber had stabbed Mr Davy and Mr Christensen.

3. WHETHER EARLIER INTERVENTION FROM EMERGENCY CREWS COULD HAVE SAVED THE MEN

The stab wounds to Mr Davy and Mr Christensen were so severe that nothing could have saved them. Forensic experts told the inquest that their injuries were not survivable, and not even immediate help from paramedics could have helped.

But one question is whether police could have intervened and prevented the deaths if they’d gone to Alva Beach quicker.

The inquest heard evidence that Sergeant Neal forgot his gun, and had to go back to the station before heading to the house when they realised the situation had escalated.

4. THE CORONER’S VIEW ON WHETHER THE DECISION TO NOT CHARGE DEAN WEBBER WAS CORRECT

At the inquest, Sergeant Neal said he made the decision to not prosecute Mr Webber three days after the stabbing, even though not all the forensic evidence had been returned.

Mr Webber was arrested on the night, questioned by Sergeant Neal and another officer Justin Luke, and kept in custody for more than 24 hours.

Senior Constable Luke told the inquest that he thought Sergeant Neal didn’t ask Mr Webber tough enough questions, and he initially thought Sergeant Neal was going to charge him.

At the inquest, Sergeant Neal heavily defended his decision to not prosecute.

Five days after the stabbing, the documentation was signed off by Sergeant Neal that Mr Webber acted in self-defence.

The coroner is likely to determine if this was the right call when she hands down her findings next week.

The coroner is also likely to look at whether any internal police investigation was conducted after the incident, whether Ayr police responded properly, and the circumstances surrounding the deaths of both men.