Latest news with #familyviolence
ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
Perth mother appears in court after being charged with murdering her seven-month-old baby boy in Balcatta
A mother accused of murdering her seven-month-old baby boy has wept during a brief court appearance in which she was ordered to remain in custody. WARNING: This story contains details some readers may find distressing. Jacinta Beth Sells, 31, is charged with murdering her infant son in a Balcatta home in the early hours of Monday morning. Speaking on Tuesday, WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said it was a confronting scene for first responders. Ms Sells appeared in court on Wednesday, with Magistrate Sandra De Maio reading out the charge of murder to her, to which she nodded she understood. She looked down at the floor for much of the brief hearing, and wept towards the end. Ms Sells is scheduled to appear in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court next month. Commissioner Blanch said police will allege the death of the baby was a "family violence incident", and said the scene would likely "haunt" first responders for the rest of their careers. He said family members were present at the time of the baby's death. "There was a male, a female and a young person." "There would be very few cases where you would have a crime scene of such a horrific nature for our officers and for first responders involved," he said. "It's something that will most likely haunt them for the rest of their careers. At a media conference on Tuesday morning, WA Premier Roger Cook described the death as "dreadful". "Our hearts go out to everyone involved in that," he said. "Obviously, there's family and friends who are impacted by the information that's coming through," he said.
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Five changes domestic violence experts say could make the Northern Territory safer for women
The Northern Territory has the highest rates of family and domestic violence in Australia, with a rate of intimate partner homicide seven times the national average. With just a handful of DV shelters — including some that can turn away up to 200 women each month — the ABC asked experts in the sector how the territory could become a safer place for women, children and families. Those on the front line know there are no quick fixes, especially in a jurisdiction where cultural diversity, remoteness and significant disadvantage add to the challenges. But these experts have identified five key areas for change. Centralised intake. ( ABC News: Jess Henderson ) Ana Aitcheson, chief executive of Darwin shelter Dawn House, says when a woman is in crisis and looking for help, the onus is generally on her to find support. Ms Aitcheson says a centralised intake system could act as "one port of call" for those seeking support. She says a centralised centre, which could then direct women to appropriate organisations with availability, will help prevent victims from "[falling] through the gaps". Ms Aitcheson says that without it women are left on hold, bouncing around from service to service. "If a woman needs support and she calls us for example and we're at a capacity … we give her a phone number for another organisation. They're the same, another phone number, and that's just very time consuming," she said. Safe housing Safe housing icon. ( ABC News: Jess Henderson ) Holly Gurruwiwi, an advocate with lived experience of DV, says the territory needs more safe housing to help address family and domestic violence. The NT has the highest rates of overcrowding in Australia, with remote Aboriginal communities significantly impacted. These housing conditions have been found to increase family conflict and emotional and behavioural issues for young children. For many territory women who want to leave violent relationships, there's often nowhere to go. "There are people in communities who do know how to keep their family safe, but the option is between safety and homeless," Ms Gurruwiwi said. DV training DV training icon. ( ABC News: Jess Henderson ) Since leaving her own violent relationship in 2016, Ms Gurruwiwi has been using her experience to educate first responders about different kinds of violence through a culturally and trauma-informed lens. The PARt (prevent, assist, respond training) program, developed by Tangentyere Council Aboriginal Coproration, trains NT police recruits and some health workers. Ms Gurruwiwi and co-manager of Tangentyere's family safety and social services division, Maree Corbo, are calling for the program to be adopted more broadly. "Definitely security guards, because we know security guards are dealing with this day in and day out," Ms Gurruwiwi said. Ms Corbo says it's a matter of getting all different sectors like health, courts, police and corrections "speaking the same language" on domestic violence. Men's rehabilitation Men's rehabilitation icon. ( ABC News: Jess Henderson ) Ms Corbo says investing in more men's behaviour change programs should be a top priority for the NT government. As the manager of Tangentyere Council's men's behaviour change program in Alice Springs, Ms Corbo says these programs help keep perpetrators "in view" and educated on their use of violence and its impact. To reach men who aren't bailed and able to attend a rehabilitation program in their community, she says there should be more collaboration with correctional services. Ms Corbo says Tangentyere once ran a men's behaviour change program that followed men from prison to their release into the community, noting it's "one of the highest risk times" for recidivism. But resourcing challenges have prevented the organisation from continuing that model. Funding sustainability Funding sustainability icon. ( ABC News: Jess Henderson ) To make any meaningful change, all of the experts agreed that more timely, consistent and strategically-placed funding at both national and territory levels was key. Ms Aitcheson says whenever there's a change in government, the sector goes "right back to the consult stage". She wants to see changes implemented and funded as soon as possible. Ms Gurruwiwi wants the federal government to take "a greater seat at the table" when it comes to funding programs in a jurisdiction with the country's highest rates of domestic violence. The NT government has committed $36 million of ongoing annual funding to the sector, which started rolling out this year. Ms Corbo says that could lead to some light at the end of the tunnel. "It's really important having five-year funding, [so] we know what we're dealing with, we know who we can employ, what we're doing with it and how we can improve the programs," she said. Advocates like Holly Gurruwiwi are still calling on the NT government to accept the recommendations and "implement them all entirely".
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Tragic new details emerge after a baby was found dead at a suburban home in Balcatta, Perth
The tragic death of a six-month-old baby boy is being treated as an alleged family violence homicide, Western Australia 's top cop has revealed. Emergency responders were confronted with traumatic scenes after being called to a home on Campion Avenue in Balcatta, northern Perth, early on Monday. It's understood the baby boy was found with stab wounds and died in front of other family members, including a teenage girl. A woman in her 30s was taken to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital where she underwent a mental health assessment under police guard. She was released from hospital on Monday night but remains in police custody. No charges have yet been laid as police try to piece together what happened. Harrowing new details emerged when WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch fronted a press conference on Tuesday. 'This is a trauma that no one will ever recover from, and I think the family are just deeply affected,' he told reporters. 'There would be very few cases where you would have a crime scene of such a horrific nature for our officers and all first responders involved. 'And certainly those officers would be entitled to their critical incident leave, but that's something that will most likely haunt them for the rest of their careers.' Other family members are assisting homicide detectives with their inquiries. 'It's very confined to the members of that household,' Commissioner Blanch said. 'It's a very sad story, obviously with the death of such a young baby.' Premier Roger Cook said that his thoughts were with everyone impacted by the 'dreadful' tragedy. 'Obviously, there are family and friends who are impacted by the information that is now coming through and it's incredibly sad and horrible stuff,' he said. 'I also want to extend my thoughts to first responders who would have gone into that scene, confronted by some very difficult circumstances.' The suburban street remained in lockdown for most of Monday as police, homicide detectives and forensic officers examined the crime scene. The tragedy has rocked the family's neighbours, who described the woman who lived at the home as a kind, sweet person who loved her kids. 'I know she had been struggling lately with the new baby and her own personal stuff... When I heard that one of the kids had died, I just felt sick to my stomach,' a neighbour told The West Australian. Another man added: 'Just for the (police) forensics to have to go to a job and deal with that is just, you know, there is nothing worse'.
ABC News
3 days ago
- ABC News
WA Police treating death of baby in Balcatta in Perth's north as 'family violence incident'
Police say they are treating the death of a baby in Perth's north as a "family violence incident". Homicide Squad detectives are investigating after the six-month-old infant was found dead in a Balcatta home just after 3am on Monday. The child's mother was taken by ambulance to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and placed under police guard. WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said members of the household were being questioned. "It's the investigation of a family violence incident, it's confined to the members of that household," he told 6PR radio. "There are no charges yet but the major crime squad are investigating."
RNZ News
3 days ago
- RNZ News
Hawke's Bay man loses appeal against prison sentence for 100 assaults on partner
By Ric Stevens, Open Justice reporter of The woman went to Women's Refuge and gave police an evidential video interview, but later retracted her allegations. Photo: 123RF WARNING: This story describes sustained family violence and may be upsetting to some readers. A man who assaulted a woman 100 times during their brief relationship, including while she was tied to a pole and gagged, tried to argue that his prison sentence was "unduly harsh". Ronald Sydney Wharepapa, 54, also hit the woman with a hammer numerous times, kicked her with steel-capped boots, punched her hard in the groin and put a cigarette out on her leg. Early in their 10-month relationship, Wharepapa punched the woman in the head to the point she became dizzy and was knocked to the ground, injuring her ear. The woman went to Women's Refuge and gave police an evidential video interview, but later retracted her allegations. She continued to deny those allegations when giving evidence in a trial at the Napier District Court. However, a jury found Wharepapa guilty on 11 of the 16 charges he faced. These were five charges of assault with a weapon and six charges of assault on a person in a family relationship. One of the weapon charges and two of the assault in a family relationship charges were representative, meaning they covered more than one incident. Judge Richard Earwaker sentenced Wharepapa to three years and two months in prison. Wharepapa appealed his sentence to the Court of Appeal on the grounds that the starting point used in calculating the sentence was too high, and that insufficient discounts had been given for the "deprivation and disadvantage" he had experienced in life. In particular, he said Judge Earwaker did not take into account the way his methamphetamine addiction contributed to his offending. His lawyer Rennie Gould argued a two-year term of imprisonment with release conditions to address his alcohol and drug dependency would have been more appropriate. The appeal court justices disagreed and dismissed the appeal against sentence. Their decision said the judge had recognised the impact of Wharepapa's addiction, and the steps he had taken to attend rehabilitation programmes, in the discounts that had been given. They said that Judge Earwaker also had before him information about the time Wharepapa had spent in a boys' home as a child, his lengthy history of substance abuse, and his early exposure to drugs and alcohol which was part of the gang culture surrounding him. "The judge cannot be criticised for referring to the purpose of sentencing which he considered most relevant in the circumstances, being accountability," the Court of Appeal decision said. "The judge went on to note that the sentence also needed to denounce Mr Wharepapa's conduct and deter others from committing such offending. "Given the prevalence of intimate partner violence offending by Mr Wharepapa and more generally, both are material considerations." The Court of Appeal decision said that Wharepapa had used various weapons to attack the complainant, including the hammer, a patu, the cigarette and a firework. The offending also included attacks to the head, but the court decision said that the hammer blows did not result in the serious injury that might be expected. After tying the woman to the pole in his living room, Wharepapa gagged her, poured water on her and directed a fan at her, "presumably to chill her", and put a cigarette out on her leg. The court was told that Wharepapa grew up in a household which was "quite rough". The children "were loved and fed" but he was physically abused by both his parents. His father was a heavy drinker and cannabis user, who introduced him to cannabis at the age of 12, about the age when he was sent to live at the boys' home he experienced further abuse and his substance abuse increased. He began using methamphetamine in his twenties, which had a "devastating impact" on his life. If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111. This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
