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ABC News
4 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Inquest hears father unaware of 11yo Murgon boy's fatal snakebite
A Queensland father has told a coronial inquest he was not aware his 11-year-old son had been bitten by a brown snake and did not think it was necessary to call emergency services in the hours before he died. Tristian James Frahm, 11, died on or about November 21, 2021, at a Murgon property, three hours north of Brisbane. A coronial inquest into Tristian's death began in Toowoomba on Monday. Coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard will examine the events leading up to Tristian's death and the public awareness of snakebite symptoms and first aid treatments. An autopsy found the boy died from brown snake venom in his system, likely from the snakebite found on his right ankle bone. The inquest heard the boy was discovered in a paddock after falling off a ride-on mower on the afternoon of November 20, 2021. Tristian's father, Kerrod James Frahm, told the inquest on Monday he went to bring his son back from the paddock, where he had found him sitting upright and conscious. Mr Frahm said his son had complained of a sore stomach and feeling sick, but told him nothing about being bitten by a snake. He said Tristian had vomited at least twice in the hours since the mower incident. Mr Frahm said he checked his son for any injuries after he first vomited but could not see any obvious marks, including a snakebite. "I did check him over for scuff marks and stuff," he said. "We were out cutting wood throughout that day, and he had a few scratch marks on his arms as well." Detective Senior Constable Benjamin Van Der Lugt led the investigation into Tristian's death. He told the inquest there was evidence gathered during the investigation that the boy had told someone he had been bitten by a snake. However, he said police were also told that Tristian had been joking about the snakebite. Mr Frahm told the inquest he understood Tristian had earlier in the day "snuck" three cans of bourbon from an esky on the property and likely drunk them. Counsel assisting the coroner Sarah Ford asked Mr Frahm whether he had assumed Tristian's stomach complaints were due to drinking alcohol, to which he agreed. "He just kept saying he had pain in the belly and wanted to lay down," Mr Frahm said. "If I needed to [get medical attention] I would have, I wasn't aware of the snakebite at the time." The inquest heard Mr Frahm had two friends, Jacob Bryant and Rochelle Dorman, staying at the property when his son died. Mr Bryant told the inquest he recalled Mr Frahm being present when it was first suggested Tristian had been bitten by a snake. "We all started searching his legs, myself, Rochelle and Kerrod to see if we could see any signs of a snakebite but there was no evidence," Mr Bryant said. "[We were] looking over his legs and feet for anything that was there, then that's where the conclusion [came from Tristian that he was] intoxicated." Later, Magistrate Kirkegaard asked Ms Dorman whether Mr Frahm was present while she and Mr Bryant checked for any signs of a snakebite. Ms Dorman said Mr Frahm was elsewhere at the time and agreed Mr Bryant's "memory could be distorted". Mr Frahm said he discovered Tristian's body between 7am and 8am on November 21. The inquest heard phone reception was poor at the property and a person would have to travel a few minutes before being able to make a call. Police originally charged Mr Frahm with manslaughter for failing to uphold his duty of care to his son, but the Director of Public Prosecution dropped the charge in April 2024. Tristian's maternal grandmother, Samantha Skerritt, told the inquest her grandson was a "truly remarkable soul". She said he was "wise and kind beyond his years" with a "heart so big it touched everyone around him". "He was our light, our joy, our everything and the love he gave will forever be held in our hearts," Ms Skerritt said. The coronial inquest continues.
News.com.au
27-05-2025
- News.com.au
Coroner to examine response to snakebite death of young boy, not child safety system
The circumstances surrounding the death of 11-year-old Tristian James Frahm will remain the central focus of a coronial inquest set to begin next month. However, in a hearing on May 12, the Coroners Court ruled that broader concerns raised by his maternal family about alleged systemic failures in Queensland's child protection system will not be investigated. Although the coroner has ruled that certain phone records from key witnesses will form part of the evidence, as they may shed light on the events surrounding Tristian's death. Tristian, who died in November 2021 after being bitten by a brown snake on a remote property near Murgon in Queensland's South Burnett region, had moved to the area in 2020 to live with his father, Kerrod Frahm, who was initially charged with his manslaughter – a charge later discontinued. Coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard said the maternal family had sought to expand the scope of the inquest to examine whether Child Safety failed to remove Tristian from his father's care 'before a serious incident occurred'. Tristian's father opposed the move. The maternal family had submitted that Tristian's death was foreseeable and pointed to previous incidents involving lack of supervision, unsafe conditions, and inadequate medical care. They argued these factors should be examined in light of systemic flaws in how Child Safety assesses risk and manages cross-jurisdictional concerns. But the Ms Kirkegaard concluded that while these concerns were serious, they were not causally proximate to Tristian's death. During a pre-inquest hearing in April, Counsel Assisting the Coroner Sarah Ford outlined the harrowing events of Tristian's final hours. Ms Ford said that on the afternoon of November 20, 2021, Mr Frahm and Tristian were at the property for a birthday gathering with Mr Frahm's friends, Rachelle Dorman and Jacob Bryant. Two other boys were also at the property. Ms Ford said on that afternoon, Tristian and another boy were riding a mower on a rural property when Tristian fell off and told the boy he had been bitten by a snake. The boy returned to the house for help, and Tristian's father, Mr Frahm, went to check on him. However, Mr Frahm reportedly believed his son may have been concussed or intoxicated rather than bitten, telling police that Tristian appeared 'a little dazed or concussed.' Despite various witness recollections, some stating Tristian mentioned a snake bite - others recalled he later said it was a stick, no immediate medical assistance was sought. 'Mr Bryant recalls that Tristian was barely able to stand and was trying to half talk but was slurring his words,' Ms Ford said. Instead, the adults reportedly assumed Tristian was drunk after being told he had 'stolen some beers' from Mr Frahm's Esky. He was told to 'sleep it off' and lay down in a donga, a temporary accommodation unit, before vomiting and later rejoining the group. By late that evening, the boy was in clear distress. Two other boys staying at the property said Tristian complained of stomach pain, vomited repeatedly, and at one point fell out of the donga door. The boys attempted to wake Mr Frahm, who was asleep on a couch, and later spoke with Mr Frahm's friend, Ms Dorman, who allegedly believed Tristian was simply 'grog sick.' She told the boy to give Tristian some water and 'lie him on his side'. The following morning, at about 7am, Mr Frahm reportedly found Tristian lying face down outside the donga, covered with a blanket. 'Unable to rouse Tristian, Mr Frahm realised he had passed away,' Ms Ford said. She told the court that Mr Frahm did not immediately call triple-0. Instead, he got into a car and drove toward town, phoning his mother on the way. She made the emergency call at 8.56am, almost two hours after Tristian was discovered. Paramedics arrived to find five patches of vomit within 20 metres of Tristian's body. Two marks on his right ankle were later confirmed to be snake bite puncture wounds. An autopsy determined the cause of death was brown snake envenomation. Ms Ford told the court an expert would testify that immediate medical attention could have likely prevented Tristian's death. Ms Kirkegaard said Tristian's upbringing was marked by instability, with periods spent living with both parents and extended relatives. Child Safety had previously been notified of concerns, including possible exposure to domestic violence and emotional harm. In May 2021, six months before Tristian's death, his father was involved in a physical assault that triggered renewed departmental involvement. However, by August that year, Child Safety determined that Tristian was not in need of protection, referring the family to intensive support services. Ms Kirkegaard acknowledged the complex and painful history between Tristian's parents, noting that both sides of Tristian's family had accused each other of 'domestic and family violence, substance misuse, excessive discipline, and child neglect'. She said a systemic child death review conducted after Tristian's death identified 'missed opportunities' for child safety officers to better understand the domestic and family violence risks. However, she noted the review did not find grounds to remove Tristian from his father's care. 'The snake bite tragically occurred in the context of a young boy who was enjoying his time with family on the property, doing something that made him happy,' Ms Kirkegaard said. 'It did not occur because of his father's domestically violent behaviours.' Reports from Child Safety, police and the Department of Education indicated none of the agencies had reason to suspect Tristian was at substantial risk. The coroner also pointed to the Department of Education's review, which described Tristian's love for his father, his protective relationship with his father's partner, and his strong school attendance. 'On the evidence before me, I consider the additional potential systemic issues proposed by the maternal family lack sufficient proximity and causal relevance,' Ms Kirkegaard said. Applying a 'common sense test', the coroner said she found no sufficient causal connection between alleged systemic failings and the specific event – the snake envenomation. However, Ms Kirkegaard did accept seven issues raised by Tristian's maternal family as relevant to the inquest, including that mobile phone data from Mr Frahm, Ms Dorman, and Mr Bryant should be added to the inquest brief. She dismissed objections from Tristian's father, who argued the records were irrelevant, finding instead that the communications could shed light on the actions of the adults present between November 20 and 21, 2021 – the period when Tristian was bitten by a snake and later died. At the beginning of the hearing, Ms Kirkegaard acknowledged the young boy at the centre of the inquest. She had earlier invited family members to share reflections so the court could better understand who Tristian was beyond the circumstances of his death. 'Tristian was an 11-year-old First Nations boy with striking blue eyes who felt a deep connection with animals and loved spending time in nature. He was full of energy and adventure,' Ms Kirkegaard said. 'A young boy who, according to the maternal family's Family Statement, was known for his deep connection to the earth, and his love of outdoor activities including riding bicycles and motorbikes.'
ABC News
09-05-2025
- ABC News
Coroner's Court of Queensland investigating disappearance of Jack McLennan
The Coroners Court of Queensland has confirmed it is investigating the disappearance of Goomeri resident Jack McLennan. The 27-year-old was last seen between 8pm and 10pm on October 4 last year at Ficks Crossing, a popular fishing spot near Murgon, about 260 kilometres north-west of Brisbane. "The deputy state coroner has carriage of the coronial investigation and, as this matter is currently open and ongoing, no further information can be provided at this time," a court spokesperson said. The coroner will determine whether an inquest will be held after an assessment of the information, but no date has been set for that decision. Mr McLennan's parents, Kellie Moody and Ross McLennan, said they had mixed feelings about the referral to the coroner. "Earlier we were told it was positive if it reached that juncture because they'd more thoroughly investigate things like foul play, but … we're not overly confident," Ross McLennan said. But the lawyer who successfully fought for an inquest into the disappearance of 13-year-old Sunshine Coast boy Daniel Morcombe has urged them to see the court's involvement as "as a good thing". "Based on my experience with the coroner's office, they've certainly been prepared to be objective and actually get or request further evidence when required," Peter Boyce said. "It's an independent body and an independent review." Before he retired Mr Boyce also represented the family of Kirra-Lea McLoughlin, a Wolvi woman who was ruled by a coroner to have died at the hands of her partner. "[The process] can take considerable time, so the parents might have that feeling not much is being done," Mr Boyce said. Jack McLennan was living at Goomeri and working as a builder's labourer before he went missing eight months ago. Police have previously said that in the hours before his last confirmed sighting on the October long weekend Mr McLennan attended Murgon police station on a domestic matter, went to a bottle shop in the town and then visited Ficks Crossing, 7km south-west. His car, which was full of personal belongings, was left at Murgon. Some of Mr McLennan's belongings, including a hat and shoes, were found during a search involving police and State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers. Ms Moody and Ross McLennan have carried out their own searches and made enquiries throughout the region. They told the ABC they believe their son attended at least one house in Wondai, about 8km south of Ficks Crossing. The family has contacted Queensland Attorney-General Deb Frecklington and Police Minister Dan Purdie to increase the reward for information about Mr McLennan's case. Ross McLennan said the family's efforts would continue. "We're not going to leave any stone unturned — we're just going to keep going," he said. "It's a rude awakening, this whole world that we've been immersed into now." Anyone with information about Jack McLennan's disappearance has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Police Link on 131 444.
