An inquest in Queensland, Australia, has heard that critical police errors may have contributed to the death of Kelly Wilkinson, a 27-year-old mother of three who was killed by her estranged husband in April 2021.

 

Wilkinson was repeatedly stabbed, doused with petrol and set alight at her Gold Coast home on April 20, 2021. Her estranged husband, Brian Earl Johnston, had been released on bail nine days earlier after being charged with four counts of sexual assault against her, according to reports by 9News and the Australian Associated Press.

 

The Southport Coroners Court heard that Johnston had been incorrectly granted police bail instead of being required to apply for bail before a magistrate, despite the seriousness of the charges. Queensland Deputy State Coroner Stephanie Gallagher was told that this was one of the failures identified in an internal police review.

 

Detective Inspector Paul Fletcher, who leads the Gold Coast Vulnerable Persons Group, acknowledged that officers missed opportunities to strengthen Wilkinson’s protection. He told the court that while officers largely followed procedures available to them at the time, there were areas where improvements could have been made, as reported by 9News.

 

The court also heard that Wilkinson’s complaint alleging that Johnston breached a protection order was incorrectly filed, making it difficult for other officers to easily access crucial details about her case.

 

Police first became aware of Wilkinson’s domestic violence concerns 23 days before her death. Senior Constable Julien O’Rourke assessed her as being at “medium risk” after she reported receiving threatening messages through a colleague of Johnston. However, the inquest heard that O’Rourke was unable to open a PDF document on his police-issued tablet, which indicated that a domestic violence prevention centre had assessed Wilkinson as being at high risk, according to the Australian Associated Press.

 

When asked whether different actions by police would have changed the outcome, Fletcher said it was difficult to determine, noting there were many unknown factors.

 

The inquest was also told that some of the officers involved have since undergone remedial training. Authorities further stated that the Gold Coast Vulnerable Persons Unit has been strengthened with additional officers and that Queensland Police have improved their domestic violence response systems since Wilkinson’s death, 9News reported.

 

The inquest is expected to conclude on Thursday, with findings anticipated to address whether systemic failures contributed to the tragic killing.

 

Wilkinson’sdeath has remained one of Queensland’s most confronting domestic violence cases, raising ongoing questions about bail decisions and police risk assessments in cases involving serious allegations.