Truth About Amy Wensley: Former coroner Evelyn Vicker believe's Amy's death ‘was an unlawful killing'
A retired senior coroner believes Amy Wensley was the victim of an unlawful killing and says there is evidence which shows she did not pull the trigger despite police initially finding she died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The bombshell revelations are revealed as Seven West Media on Sunday launches season two of its investigative podcast, The Truth About Amy, hosted by award-winning journalists Liam Bartlett and Alison Sandy.
Ms Wensley, 24, was found dead behind her bedroom door in her Serpentine home in 2014 with a fatal gunshot wound to her head.
Her important belongings were in a car, along with her two daughters — an apparent sign she was about to leave the house she shared with her partner, David Simmons.
But despite this, the awkward position of her body, and the grave suspicions of the very first police on the scene, detectives later decided the death was a suicide — and lifted the forensic shutters around the room.
After an inquest in 2021, now Deputy State Coroner Sarah Linton made an open finding, meaning she could not determine if Ms Wensley's death was a suicide, homicide — or an accident.
But in an extremely rare interview, the former Deputy State Coroner, Evelyn Vicker — the original coroner to read Ms Wensley's file — has said the details in it led her to form the view she did not die by suicide.
'To me, it was an unlawful killing,' she said.
'What we've got is evidence . . . she didn't pull the trigger herself.
'Both psychologically and forensically to me . . . Amy wouldn't have committed suicide at that point in time.'
Amy's mother, Nancy Kirk, has revealed she phoned her daughter and listened to her as she sobbed on the day she died, claiming Mr Simmons had 'grabbed me by the throat and thrown me on the ground' during an argument.
The argument — which was heard and seen by witnesses — happened just moments before the fatal shot was fired.
Mr Simmons has vehemently denied any suggestions that he was holding the gun when it went off.
Officers initially treated Amy's death as suspicious, but detectives later ruled it a suicide.
As part of their investigation, Bartlett and Sandy also enlisted University of WA applied anatomy and biomechanics professor Timothy Ackland, who says the evidence 'hasn't been weighted in the best way possible'.
'Personally, I try to remain dispassionate as much as I can and that serves me very well in most of other cases that I'm involved in,' he said.
'But I guess this one's a little bit different.
'It's gone on for some time and I just get the feeling that the evidence hasn't been weighted in the best way possible for Amy to get justice.'
Sandy said following season one of the podcast, WA Police reopened the investigation into Ms Wensley's death and updated the brief of evidence for the Director of Public Prosecutions to consider.
'We've had a massive response from the public who are passionate about The Truth About Amy being realised and somebody being held accountable for her death,' she said.
'And now more people involved in the investigation of Amy Wensley have come forward saying that they knew she didn't kill herself from the start, but were, in some cases, shouted down – literally.
'So now the family is concerned, and rightly so, that there are still people in power, with enough sway, to prevent justice in Amy's case from being realised.
'We owe it to Amy's family, along with every other family whose investigation into their loved one's death has been botched to see this through.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
a day ago
- West Australian
Breketta Robertson: Mother reveals why she left baby Rijul for dead as she visits his grave for 30th birthday
The mother of Kambalda's beloved baby Rijul, who was found dead in a public toilet 30 years ago, will return to the town for the first time to honour what would have been her son's 30th birthday. Finally in a place in her healing journey where she feels comfortable returning to the town where the tragedy unfolded, Breketta Robertson — a victim of child rape — will next month visit the grave of the baby she tragically killed at just 14 years old. Hoping to give him a headstone with her last name and a poem, Ms Robertson has launched a GoFundMe fundraiser. It is the first time she has spoken publicly about what happened on July 12, 1995, and while her mind blocked most of the memories Ms Robertson — now aged 44 — said the day still haunts her. She had been visiting her father who lived in the Kambalda caravan park for the school holidays when she gave birth to Rijul in a public toilet. The young girl had been raped by her de facto stepfather, Joseph Neil Grace, for years and knew the pregnancy was a result of that. Panicking, she suffocated him, wrapped him in toilet paper and abandoned him in the toilet bowl. She did not hold him or acknowledge him as part of herself, acting instead out of fear of getting in trouble if the rape and grooming she had been subjected to came to light. She then returned to the caravan park and complained of a stomach ache before taking two Panadol and continuing on with her day. Who killed the newborn and why remained a mystery until WA Police arrested Ms Robertson in September 2019. Ms Robertson told the Kalgoorlie Miner it was still hard to imagine herself as the person who would hurt a child and wished she could go back and do things differently. She understood there would be people who would still see her as someone who killed her son, but knew she was not a bad person and she was a victim herself. 'Put yourself in the shoes of a 13-year-old, just turned 14, living in a family of people and no one noticed anything,' she said. 'I don't remember even looking at him, there was no physical bond at all. 'I didn't pick him up and hold him before I did any of that stuff, he was not part of me, he wasn't something I wanted to accept as mine at the time. 'I just remember fearing I would get in trouble if everything came out. 'There are so many what ifs and what could have beens but I just think if only someone had asked, if only someone had noticed, if only the timing had been different. 'It's not something I'm proud of. If I could turn back time . . . I would hope to have a voice that would speak up and get help. 'But my heart goes out to the community and I'm so thankful for what they did for him.' Ms Robertson said she did not remember much of the birth and while part of that hurt her, she was also thankful not to have those traumatic memories. 'I was just trying to keep it (the abuse) a secret,' she said. 'As a child you always think everything is your fault, you're the reason or it to be happening or there's something you've done that made it happen. 'So there was a lot of that and thinking I'd get in trouble — not him, me.' Ultimately, it was 'him' who got in trouble — being sentenced to 8½ years in jail in 2020 — and Ms Robertson instead being handed a suspended prison term, meaning she would spend no time in jail. Her rapist was the only person she told about the death, a few months after it happened, and she said he offered her no support and continued to rape her until she was 16, when she fell pregnant with her first daughter to a 30-year-old man. As a mother of five adult children now, she said it was hard to comprehend how no one noticed anything at the time. 'No one knew, I never told anyone else, I just lived with it the whole time by myself,' she said. 'I remember being pregnant, but back then there was no internet, no Google, no access to information like we have these days, but I knew something was going on. 'I just didn't know exactly when I fell pregnant or when I was due. 'I just felt invisible. No one noticed anything at all. 'We left two days after so the investigation wasn't in my face and things just went on as normal. 'I realise how lucky I am now that nothing else went wrong because three of my kids were C-sections and one was breach. 'If Rijul had been breached, as a child myself I don't know what could have happened.' With all six of her children she carried 'compact' and said she did not have a big pregnant belly, which she thinks helped her keep her first pregnancy under wraps. The trauma of all the sexual assault, the death, and subsequently being in an abusive relationship for many years definitely took its toll on Ms Robertson who says she battled with alcohol, drugs and depression for a lot of her life. It was nine years ago she gave up alcohol, 2½ years ago she gave up drugs, and only recently that she was able to hold down her first job – marking the start of a new chapter for her. Being in a much better place with herself, and with this year marking what would have been Rijul's 30th birthday, Ms Robertson is hoping to visit his grave and get a headstone made for him with her last name — the last name she wishes she had been able to give him from birth. To help with the costs, she has started a GoFundMe to raise money for her to travel to WA and for the cost of the headstone. Affectionately named Rijul – which means innocence – by the community, his grave is already marked with a headstone and plaque which bares his first name. While she was yet to speak to anyone in the community about her plans, Ms Robertson said she hoped to have the site to herself on Rijul's birthday, but welcome any official community unveiling after that point. 'He would have been 30 this year and I just think what would have he become, what would have he done?' she said. 'I haven't really spoken about it all publicly but the community have a right to know what happened.' Rijul's death was a case that stuck with the Kambalda community for 24 years, with detectives launching various investigations but ultimately not producing any solid leads. That was until September 2019 when Ms Robertson was charged with his death. She recalled the day the police arrived at her door and said she felt an enormous amount of relief that the secret was finally out. She had been arrested for stealing from a Salvation Army bin after losing her belongings in a house fire in Victoria and it resulted in her DNA matching the Kambalda cold case. 'Someone finally asked, someone finally knew,' she said. 'There was no 'I didn't do it', it was finally out, and it was such a relief after carrying it on my own for so long. 'By that time, I had finally got to the point where I knew it wasn't my fault. 'It was a situation I was put in by an adult and that wasn't the type of person I was, I was the person who raised five amazing, wonderful adults. 'By then I had learned I wasn't a horrible person, and it wasn't done out of anything other than survival.' Ms Robertson said she would also like to speak to the woman who found Rijul, if they were willing to speak with her. To support Ms Robertson's GoFundMe for Rijul's headstone visit this link . If you or someone you know needs help, phone Sexual Assault Counselling Australia on 1800 211 028 or the Sexual Assault Resource Centre on 1800 199 888 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
City of Vincent suspends e-scooter trial just days after death of Perth father
A second council has pulled the handbrake on e-scooters following a spate of serious incidents. The City of Vincent, a local government in Perth, has suspended its e-scooter trial as of June 6 to allow time for a review. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: City of Vincent takes e-scooters off streets. Its rental scooters will be removed from the streets over the next 48 hours. Vincent's announcement comes a day after the City of Perth made the snap decision to suspend rental e-scooters indefinitely following the death of 51-year-old pedestrian Thanh Phan. 'We were very saddened to hear about the tragic accident in the City of Perth,' Vincent Mayor Alison Xamon said. 'Our condolences are with the family. 'Like our neighbours at Perth, we have decided to temporarily suspend our trial so we can review the safety of the hireable e-scooters and consider ways to improve this service or if it even needs to continue.' Phan, a Menora father of two, was allegedly struck by a drunk tourist while out for dinner in the CBD last Saturday night. 'A tragic event occurred at the weekend and our thoughts are with the deceased man's family at this very sad time,' City of Perth Deputy Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds said on Thursday. 'In response to the fatality, the City of Perth has suspended the hiring of e-scooters.' Phan's death came just days after a 31-year-old man was killed in a late-night crash with a truck. An 11-year-old boy was fortunate not to have lost his right leg in a collision with a car in Lakelands, in Perth's south, on May 23. Camera Icon The City of Vincent has hit the brakes on its e-scooter trial. Credit: 7NEWS WA Police are preparing to crack down on unsafe riders and will launch an operation on Friday. Officers will be targeting speeding, mobile phones, riding under the influence of drugs and alcohol, helmet use and passenger limits. 'Police will be adopting an 'education through enforcement' approach to identified offences involving electric rideable devices,' WA Police said. St John Ambulance has responded to 328 serious e-scooter crashes this year. Doctors say devastating crashes involving e-scooters are on the rise, with one seriously injured rider presenting every day at RPH. 'We saw an exponential increase in these injuries over the last five or so years,' RPH trauma surgeon Dieter Weber told 7NEWS last week. 'This has been a new injury pattern that we simply did not have previously.' 'Traumatic injuries' Public health and safety experts have called for improved safety regulations across Australia after a new report identified that 176 injured children aged between five years and 15 years had been taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital in 2023 and 2024. Researchers found one in 10 e-scooter injuries were life threatening or potentially life threatening, and almost four in 10 cases involved a broken bone. 'The types of injuries ranged from minor fractures and injuries through to traumatic brain injuries requiring a craniotomy,' lead author Matthew Clanfield said. 'A lot of the parents attending were extremely upset to see their child hospitalised and weren't aware how risky e-scooters can be or the legal requirement for supervision under 16.' Public Health Association of Australia chief executive Terry Slevin said e-scooters were 'proving (to be) a genuine public health risk and injury prevention issue'. 'This study provides data in one region and in one hospital, but this is an issue in every town and city where they have landed across Australia,' he said. The Queensland Government is preparing to hold a public inquiry into e-scooters and other mobility devices.
7NEWS
a day ago
- 7NEWS
City of Vincent suspends e-scooter trial just days after death of Perth father
A second council has pulled the handbrake on e-scooters following a spate of serious incidents. The City of Vincent, a local government in Perth, has suspended its e-scooter trial as of June 6 to allow time for a review. Its rental scooters will be removed from the streets over the next 48 hours. Vincent's announcement comes a day after the City of Perth made the snap decision to suspend rental e-scooters indefinitely following the death of 51-year-old pedestrian Thanh Phan. 'We were very saddened to hear about the tragic accident in the City of Perth,' Vincent Mayor Alison Xamon said. 'Our condolences are with the family. 'Like our neighbours at Perth, we have decided to temporarily suspend our trial so we can review the safety of the hireable e-scooters and consider ways to improve this service or if it even needs to continue.' Phan, a Menora father of two, was allegedly struck by a drunk tourist while out for dinner in the CBD last Saturday night. 'A tragic event occurred at the weekend and our thoughts are with the deceased man's family at this very sad time,' City of Perth Deputy Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds said on Thursday. 'In response to the fatality, the City of Perth has suspended the hiring of e-scooters.' Phan's death came just days after a 31-year-old man was killed in a late-night crash with a truck. An 11-year-old boy was fortunate not to have lost his right leg in a collision with a car in Lakelands, in Perth's south, on May 23. WA Police are preparing to crack down on unsafe riders and will launch an operation on Friday. Officers will be targeting speeding, mobile phones, riding under the influence of drugs and alcohol, helmet use and passenger limits. 'Police will be adopting an 'education through enforcement' approach to identified offences involving electric rideable devices,' WA Police said. St John Ambulance has responded to 328 serious e-scooter crashes this year. Doctors say devastating crashes involving e-scooters are on the rise, with one seriously injured rider presenting every day at RPH. 'We saw an exponential increase in these injuries over the last five or so years,' RPH trauma surgeon Dieter Weber told 7NEWS last week. 'This has been a new injury pattern that we simply did not have previously.' 'Traumatic injuries' Public health and safety experts have called for improved safety regulations across Australia after a new report identified that 176 injured children aged between five years and 15 years had been taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital in 2023 and 2024. Researchers found one in 10 e-scooter injuries were life threatening or potentially life threatening, and almost four in 10 cases involved a broken bone. 'The types of injuries ranged from minor fractures and injuries through to traumatic brain injuries requiring a craniotomy,' lead author Matthew Clanfield said. 'A lot of the parents attending were extremely upset to see their child hospitalised and weren't aware how risky e-scooters can be or the legal requirement for supervision under 16.' Public Health Association of Australia chief executive Terry Slevin said e-scooters were 'proving (to be) a genuine public health risk and injury prevention issue'. 'This study provides data in one region and in one hospital, but this is an issue in every town and city where they have landed across Australia,' he said. The Queensland Government is preparing to hold a public inquiry into e-scooters and other mobility devices.
