CORONER SLAMS POLICE RESPONSE
COPS IGNORED FRANTIC CALLS ON NIGHT OF STABBINGS Had he (Det Sgt Neal) gone to Mr Webber’s residence on being advised of the matter it is highly likely that the situation would have been defused
immediately and two lives saved
THE tragic deaths of two men at Alva Beach could have been prevented if police had appropriately responded to calls for help from the terrified young man who was “very much in fear for his life” when he killed them, a scathing coronial report has revealed.
Deputy State Coroner Jane Bentley delivered her findings from the inquest into one of Queensland’s most perplexing homicide cases on Wednesday in which she laid bare the failings of emergency services.
Those shortcomings included a police officer who swore at and hung up on Dean Webber when he called for help before stabbing two men to death and a detective who chose to complete paperwork before responding to the desperate calls for assistance.
Corey James Christensen, 37, and Thomas Ian Davy, 27, were killed in the early hours of October 1, 2018 when they tried to enter the home of 19year-old Dean Webber at Alva Beach, south of Townsville.
Mr Davy’s partner Candice Locke had knocked on the teenager’s door begging him for help after falling from a buggy and fracturing her shoulder and claimed she was being pursued by “really psycho” men.
Ms Bentley found that Mr Webber was “very much in fear for his life” when he stabbed both Mr Christensen and Mr Davy after they removed his door from its tracks while trying to gain entry to his home.
The coroner found Mr Davy had entered the home when he was attacked by Mr Webber and Mr Christensen was either inside the house or in the doorway when he was stabbed.
Mr Webber was never charged over the fatal stabbing after police found he had acted in self defence.
In her findings, Ms Bentley said the investigating officer Detective Sergeant Gavin Neal was an “experienced police officer” who had determined there was insufficient evidence to charge Mr Webber with any offences.
“I find that he exercised his discretion appropriately and in accordance with police procedures and policies,” the coroner said.
Ms Bentley said Mr Webber had been “genuinely con
cerned for his own safety and wellbeing and that of Ms Locke throughout the ordeal.
“I find that Mr Webber was immediately assaulted by Mr Davy and possibly by Mr Christensen,” she said.
“He retaliated by lashing out with the knife in his hand, stabbing first Mr Christensen and then Mr Davy. The stabbings occurred in the dark and Mr Webber was unsure who he had stabbed.”
Tragically, the coroner also found that the deaths could have been prevented if Mr Webber’s calls for help had been prioritised by police over another job of filling out bail paperwork for an unrelated matter which had caused an “unacceptable delay”.
Ms Bentley said that Det Sgt Neal “did not deal with the matter appropriately”.
“There was no valid reason for him to attend to the bail affidavit prior to going to Alva Beach,” she said.
“Had he gone to Mr Webber’s residence on being advised of the matter it is highly likely that the situation would have been defused immediately and two lives saved.
“However, in this regard I accept that the matter is now being considered in light of the terrible tragedy that occurred and DS Neal could not reasonably have foreseen that outcome at the time that he made the decision...”
The coroner also found that Senior Constable Luke Weiks had failed to treat a call for help by Mr Webber and Ms Locke as legitimate, saying he had dealt with their pleas for help “inappropriately”.
“He swore at them, accused them of lying to him, although it is not clear why he came to that conclusion, and hung up on them whilst events were escalating to the fatal conclusion,” she said.
“His dismissive attitude resulted in him failing to prioritise the matter appropriately.”
The coroner found that an Ethical Standards review of the police response that determined there had been no wrongdoing by officers had been inadequate.
Ms Bentley also criticised the decision making process used by police in not charging Louis Bengoa, the man who was driving the buggy at the time Ms Locke fell from it.
She said police gave no consideration to whether he should be charged with driving related offences in light of evi
dence he may have been under the influence of alcohol at the time.
The coroner said Mr Bengoa was the only person who might have been able to give an account of what happened outside Mr Webber’s house after Ms Locke entered it but said he had been an “unreliable and unhelpful witness” and had tried to minimise his own conduct.
Ms Bentley said she also doubted Mr Bengoa’s evidence that he was not involved at all in the entry into Mr Webber’s house and found he had “no interest in Ms Locke’s welfare or concern for her safety”.
“It is probable that, due to what he was told by Mr Bengoa, Mr Davy considered that it was necessary as a matter of urgency to remove Ms Locke from the house,” Ms Bentley said.
“It is probable that Mr Davy entered the house due to his false belief that Ms Locke required his assistance – possibly he believed that she was vulnerable due to her intoxicated state.
“Mr Christensen may have aided him due to his impaired judgment arising from his significant level of intoxication.”