Exclusive: Family calls for inquest, saying Wilkinson visited police ‘almost every day’ before she was murdered by her husband in 2021
Cops don’t resolve problems, they are the problem.
They’re an excuse not to render a service. If you’re in need of protection from a violent neighbor or relative, the police exist as a thing we can say exist to solve the problem without actually solving the problem. If the police don’t respond or treat your case with urgency, we’re allowed to say that the urgency doesn’t exist.
In a similar vein, they exist to exaggerate the threat of certain areas or populations. If you’re constantly putting squad cars and doing arrests and send in SWAT teams through a neighborhood, we can say that the neighborhood must be very dangerous. More and more police activity in an area flag it as “in need of additional policing” because what would the police be doing except restoring law and order to a neighborhood plagued by anarchy?
They are, in effect, a tool of state propaganda. Their physical presence (or absence) signals what is taboo (or tacitly encouraged) by the city/state/national leadership.
A court has previously heard that Johnston tied Wilkinson to a clothesline and set her on fire on 20 April 2021.
Holy shit, I assumed it was an impulsive murder (not that that is good). But doing that to her? What a total piece of shit.
Never underestimate the shitty guys women are willing to marry.
While this guy was killing his wife, good men were killing themselves out of loneliness.
It could be viewed more accurately as ‘never underestimate the power that emotional abuse and manipulation can have on a vulnerable person’. You’re not wrong exactly but I’m not sure what point you are trying to make. To me it makes it sound like you’re saying she should have known better than to let herself get murdered.
Are you okay? Where’s your carer?
I’m fine. What’s your point?
This is a weird place to show incel behaviour my dude, this isn’t about you.
What are you talking about?
You’re blaming her for being murdered by saying she should have married a “good man”.
That’s pure unadulterated incel shit.
Blame the killer, and the police who enabled him, not the victim.
A woman was murdered and your first reaction was to spill one out for the lonely guys!
Good men like you who make domestic abuse ending in murder into a pity party about your loneliness?
Edit: I made a snarky comment, but I think you would be better served looking up why abusive relationships are so complicated. It’s more than women picking shitty guys, there are layers of manipulative behavior and the creation of a constant state of dependence and fear. Oftentimes, you don’t realize how shitty someone is until you are deep into the relationship, sometimes you don’t realize it all.
This is not simple women picking shitty men, there is so much more going on here and you shouldn’t distill it down to something so simple
It’s the men who complain about women picking bad guys who are the guys who mask their controlling behavior in “niceness.”
That’s what got me. I thought he was a good guy, but he was just an MRA idiot.
This sounds straight out of a soon to be posted manifesto.
Wow. Way to victim blame the woman for marrying someone she assumed wouldn’t kill her. Like WTF is this incel logic? You’re not a good man killing yourself out of loneliness. You’re a douche bag who doesn’t see WHY they’re alone.
If she wasn’t attractive, he wouldn’t have even bothered responding.
Holy. Shit.
I’ve no words!
I’m truly disturbed by this having as many likes as it does.
All y’all lil incels need to go to therapy.
Seriously, that shit helps a lot. Just having a knowledgeable party that’s kind of able to help calibrate and understand your own responses is very cathartic.
-144?
The comment has been removed now. What did it say?
It was Intel nonsense blaming the murdered woman for not picking a nice guy and complaining about nice guys being lonely. You missed nothing by not being able to read it.
Thanks
Hey look kids, it’s a fucking moron.
I’ll take “Things only pathetic, misogynistic incels would think” for $600.
Fuck off incel
“Cop Shopping” is a gross term for them not doing their job. They never prevent or protect anything.
Wasn’t there some sort of ruling a while back that said the police are under no obligation to serve and protect, which is why that’s no longer on their cars and stuff?
Edit: Found it.
Edit 2: My bad, the article is for Australia so this doesn’t apply. I’m so used to seeing this sort of thing is the US news.
The usa there have bern many rurlings stating it is legal for cops to do nothing.
Uvalde school shooting is one example.
Agreed, support 2A and depend upon yourself.
So he could have shot her?
Let’s just set up a standoff where the husband, wife and one police officer all hold guns to each other. It’ll all sort itself out when the dust settles like the wild west. See I can come up with stupid politically motivated solutions too. Stupid, to say a gun will “fix” a situation involving domestic abuse. You hear that 2A’ers, THAT’S STUPID!
You did the ol’Reddit switcharoo. I gotta say it takes a special kind of animal to do that on a thread dealing with a domestic abuse victim.
The article is about things that happened in Australia 🙄
Exactly, I bet her loved ones wished she had the right tools to defend herself. Lord knows the police won’t.
Eew keep your gross American opinions to yourself.
Oh look, an Australian denying reality in favor of ideology. Shocking.
US has the highest domestic violence / death by gun rates in the entire world.
There is no such thing as good guy with a gun. Look at the victory parade just last week. People with guns everywhere just ran away for their lives instead of shooting the bad guy with the gun they love boasting about.
The worst mass shooting in Canada in history was 12 dead. What’s the worst death toll in the US?
The last school shooting in Canada was about 20 years ago, when was the last one in the US?
If this Australian couple had guns, 90% chance she would have been shot and killed by beer husband instead of whatever means he used. The police should have done their jobs.
That is the reality.
No, the 1A means I can share it as much as I want. Freedom of Speech is awesome!
The irony of you tooting about 1A, celebrating your “right” to free speech, based on your ability to post something in a forum where 1A doesn’t apply.
It’s delicious.
celebrating your “right” to free speech
Offtopic: so these quotes mean you doubt that it is a right too?
1A doesn’t apply for what mods do, but it seems mods agree that his opinion belongs here.
1A does apply for him not being prosecuted for saying it anywhere. BTW, things like swatting gun rights’ supporters’ homes do in effect break 1A.
So there’s a valid combination where there’s nothing “delicious” in your meaning in his comment - that’s if he meant that people in some other countries are more reserved with their opinions online because of fear of being flagged by police. I’d say it has some merit - slippery slopes work in reality.
Also I think I’ve read something about Australia, refugees, detention and human rights activism of the level a bit more sinister than in US.
Well if you want seconds, I’m still posting.
You make it sound like thats unique to the US and a foreign concept to the rest of the world.
Freedom of speech doesn’t mean you won’t face consequences of what you say.
Not saying it is unique, just stating my 1A rights mean I have the freedom to do so.
And we have the freedom to call you out on your American bullshit (that doesn’t even work in the US).
Ok, I appreciate the update. I don’t really take the opinions of foreigners seriously so it’s good to know where you stand.
The first amendment applies only to government action on your speech. It has nothing to do with your speech on a private website and it doesn’t apply outside of the US (even if you’d like to think the US owns the world).
Yeah buddy I’m still posting. Stifling free speech is never a good solution. Maybe you are intimidated by opposing opinions and need some kind of safe space.
I do not.
The supposed tool to defend herself with would have been used to kill her even sooner.
If you need a gun in order to feel safe in your country, you live in a shithole.
Yeah! Because domestic abuse is totally not a thing in america. Oh wait.
Domestic abuse is a problem in the US. I believe in empowering victims to have every resource available to escape and defend themselves from abusers.
And Australians have had massive incursions on their gun rights since 2020.
That’s because we don’t see using a gun as a right, just like we don’t see driving a car as a right. They’re both activities that are priviledges earned through training and licensing.
And as a result the number of school shootings is much, much lower than in the US.
If only you supported education, more specifically geography, as much as you pretend to support the Constitution.
No I fully support the constitution and wish the amendments were universal human rights, not just American rights.
So you want more deaths in the world?
Well I don’t.
Any country where you need a gun in order to feel safe is a shithole.
Weird flex but ok. I suppose if you are privileged enough to stay in a country with no violence you should probably stay there.
For everyone else, we like our rights to self defense.
A populace with the ability to kill anyone with the press of a button isn’t free or safe - it’s fearful, which is a dangerous thing to be when you have a gun.
Gestures lazily at gun deaths per capita compared to the rest of the developed world.
There’s also the 13th - Slavery is fine so long as we criminalise you. Why the fuck would you want this, exactly?
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
The deification of the founding fathers - a bunch of slave owners and the like is deeply weird. They had some good ideas… and some atrocious ones.
Odd I have your username labeled as “Gone full ******!” Check your comment history we’ve done this dance before.
Defending slavery isn’t getting any less monstrous or dumb.
Lol, you never change WaxedWookie, full ****** is your thing.
wish the amendments were universal human rights, not just American rights.
No thanks. You can keep your constitution. Ours isn’t perfect either, but I prefer it to yours.
Something something, hammer and nail
I love the duality of Lemmy users:
“Ohhh nooos we can’t depend upon the police!”
“Ohh nooos how dare someone suggest taking agency for their own safety ! 2A is baddd mmmkay!”
I think the overall sentiment is removing violence as an option for everyone, cops, citizens, and criminals alike
Guns as a thing in this world inherently create death and loss as a result of their existence, not in spite of it
It’s a nice sentiment, I too abhor violence. But the world we live in is just not that way. I prefer to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst in people.
Bark on about how your rights are being taken, maybe when you find your oppressor we can throw a gun in the mix and see who comes out victorious. Waah waah, the powers are holding me down. Let’s go get the state to allow more unrestricted access to fire arms, as that’s everyone’s solution to everything.
Im not sure where your rant came from. I’m not trying to throw a revolution. Just trying to protect me and mine.
https://gunsafety.ny.gov/domestic-violence Go to another thread with this savior attitude.
Are opposing opinions scary to you? Do you need a safe space?
Fuck off. Australia doesn’t want or need your freedum bullshit.
Those of you who automatically dismiss self-defense out of hand: what is your method of self-defense, and why wasn’t it used in 1930s Germany?
She did.
Where the bald eagle swoops in and drops a loaded gun into her hands, yah.
Just here to keep the -69.
I’ve seen what Lemmy upvotes, I prefer your downvotes.
We’ll throw complaining about the calibre of people in the spaces you decide to frequent voluntarily on the pile with the rest of your dumb bullshit.
Are you stalking me Waxed Wookiee? Just an FYI, I don’t plan on paying rent for that tiny headspace of yours.
It’s all about you, isn’t it? Not as though I’ve been a presence in this thread or anything.
Best way to avoid me would be to stop posting such aggressively stupid bullshit.
Perhaps you may need your own safe space. But be assured you will find me where a Pro 2A view is needed.
Yes, cop shopping, i’m in here repeatedly trying to get even one of you to give a shit, and you’ve got a perjorative term just ready to hand for that exact situation.
Policy against giving a shit would go with the territory I suppose, pathological fucking institution.
ACAB
When seconds count police are
only minutes awaynot coming to save you.Buy a gun, learn to shoot. Nobody is coming to save you, take agency for your own safety.
Wasn’t she a resident of Australia? They have some pretty strict gun laws, so there’s almost no chance she’d have been able to get one.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_of_Australia
A person must have a firearm licence to possess or use a firearm. Licence holders must demonstrate a “genuine reason” (which does not include self-defence)
(emphasis mine)
She was, it’s a shame she didn’t have access to all the tools she needed to escape that deadly situation. Depending on others is never a good plan.
Sadly, cases like this happens in all the world. I don’t know if their work tend to desensitize some cops or what, but this is not the first time something like this happen, and certainly will not be the last.
What the fuck is “cop shopping”?
Shopping for cops
Well I did kinda guess that much.
What does that actually mean?
I’ve never heard the term before but, based on context, I’d say it means going to multiple police stations looking for a cop who will do what you want. Similar to the way that an addict might visit multiple doctors seeking drugs.
They thought she was lying and trying to get a new cop for a different outcome.
“Please officer, please help me. Please do literally anything consistent with the stated role of your profession!”
“No”
“Ok, I’m going to ask this of a different officer.”
“What do you think this is? A Walmart?!”
a friend of mine did the same thing before her domestic murder. the police (who are well funded in this town) did not want to take her seriously, and they did nothing. another friend helped her out and was subsequently murdered too.
Sorry you lost friends that way. Hopefully the asshole that did it never sees the outside of prison ever again.
it wouldn’t make a difference. He’s not going to kill anyone else
Yeah, it can be extremely dangerous to intervene in domestic violence situations. IIRC, something like 50% of domestic violence related murders are actually bystanders who tried to stop the abuse.
Completely unrelated but I do believe this is my first rimjobsteve moment experienced out in the wild.
he was right to step in and help. i just wish the cops had done it…
Fuckin dumbass pigs
It’s disgusting as I had to do something similar in Australia before I could find someone to take my domestic violence case serious. Australia cops are a fucking sham when it comes to domestic violence. “Cop shopping”. I hope they rot for coming up for a shit term they coined for boasting about their incompetence. Fucking losers.
A lot of the time the cops are domestic abusers themselves. Have had family stalked and harassed by an AFP cop in the past, and just like you say the cops had no interest whatsoever.
I hope the police and everyone who ignored her pleas are reminded of her death everyday of the week. Name names.
I hope the police and everyone who ignored her pleas are reminded of her death everyday of the week
YES!
Name names
NO!
what a emotional Rollercoaster
The police are worse than useless.
There was a story on reddit about a ex husband sending death threat letters and police said, “unless you’re being raped or dead, we can’t help you.”
Send those letters to a cops wife or daughter and I guarantee they do something
Those are just letters from the cop to their wife or daughter…
Nooo. Like their cars say, they’re there to protect and to serve and-… Oh, I see how they may have slipped up on this one. And maybe in a few other incidents… Regularly… All the time…Okay, you have a point.
Protect and serve the wealthy class
That’s why they often put it quotes for plausible deniability: “we just put that on our cars 'cause we heard some guy say it once.”
They should change it to “reject and swerve”.
Seems like false advertising. Cease and desist! If not, should be forced to add disclaimer everywhere, stating the fact that they’re not actually legally required to “protect and serve” anyone in particular. And will not be personally liable for any damages (like shooting your dog when they raid the wrong house).
Protect capitalist interests and serve the capitalist agenda. Steal from a wal mart? Multi unit response. Shoot up a school, light your wife on fire so she burns to death horrifically? Not worth the effort
They’d do well in consulting then!
Let’s just stick at the end of that phrase a needed word:
Money
ACAB
Yes. All cops are bastards, you can’t fight, and you don’t own a gun.
Who exactly do you expect to protect you in situations like this, then? The fairy-godmother?
I would expect police to help, but that didn’t happen, hence ACAB.
You’re just FULL of bad takes. Take the L and get off the internet. Or go watch another video from Andrew Tate that just EXUDES homosexual tension, while claiming to be aggressively hetero. I’m sure you love those.
Are you saying people who don’t rely on cops don’t own guns? I have news for you… The media is lying to you.
“cop shopping” is also known as “finding a needle in a haystack” or “the one cop that will do the minimum of their job”.
At the beginning of April 2021, police charged Johnston with four serious domestic violence offences against Wilkinson. He was given watch house bail.
In the weeks that followed, Wilkinson attempted to speak to police “almost every day” about her concerns in relation to Johnston, her sister, Natalie Wilkinson told the Gold Coast Bulletin in 2021, including allegations he had breached the conditions of his domestic violence order.
Another sister, Danielle Carroll, said at that time that Kelly had told police, “I am scared for my life, I am scared for my children’s life. We are not safe”.
I’m curious what the cops could have actually done given existing legislation.
Were they able to arrest and detain him because he was in breach of the AVO or can’t they do anything?
If they could have done something and didn’t then they should be held accountable.
If the law is written such that they couldn’t arrest him then I’m not sure what could have changed.
It’s a frustrating thing.
This is such a weak argument. The police have a wide latitude in their discretion in the way they execute the law and almost no individual liability for any actions they take (e.g. murder, theft, rape, etc.), especially when they fear for their own lives or think someone may have broken an imaginary law that only exists inside their own head. But, when someone needs actual help and protection, suddenly their hands are tied by red tape? It’s more than frustrating, it’s straight up Orwellian doublespeak.
His point stands though.
For the same reason why people sit through the CSR saying to power cycle and check the cords… Everyone has red tape they know they have to go through for their jobs. Domestic abuse cases are especially under scrutiny. Hell in my state, they HAVE to arrest someone if they show up.
Almost all of these cases stand with a crux on 1st amendment issues. Until they receive direct threats with times and ‘hows’, then it’s file a restraining order. For murderers though, it means nothing. Police aren’t exactly funded enough to plant a cruiser in front of her house too unless they think it’s imminent.
You could hire a bodyguard, but good luck if you’re remotely poor.
There’s also small merit to saying well go get a gun! You have to sleep sometimes. Only so many cameras you can put up in your home and you miss a notification.
Few people can afford a name change and just up and move. Most can’t even do that due to the legal system restricting where you can if you have children with them.
Simply put, someone who’s not full on dumb can murder anyone if they really wanted to. It’s just something every society hates thinking about.
I don’t disagree with you in principle but I don’t want to have a situation where police detain people on the off chance they may commit a future crime.
That’s a recipe for disaster.
In this case though it could be argued that the police releasing him on bail was a mistake and the courts should have made the call.
They could’ve arrested him
In the weeks that followed, Wilkinson attempted to speak to police “almost every day” about her concerns in relation to Johnston, her sister, Natalie Wilkinson told the Gold Coast Bulletin in 2021, including allegations he had breached the conditions of his domestic violence order.
I know someone who helps run a series of shelters, where people in fear of abuse can hide. It’s not the cops, but cops sometimes send people their way. They have an ever-changing set of safe houses, and my friend can’t even say where she works in case one of the locations gets out.
I have no idea how they connect with victims though
If you are charged, the police may release you on bail from the watch-house. Otherwise, they must take you to court as soon as possible and release you if the court grants bail.
He was found sufficiently suspicious/liable enough in the initial investigation to warrant being arrested and given a formal charge, but still released on bail.
If police charge you with an offence, they must give you a notice to appear or a full charge sheet (also called a bench charge sheet), which provides details of the charge. Police will provide the full charge sheet if they arrest and formally charge you at the watch house.
They saw what he was doing to her, agreed enough to charge him with a crime, and then released him, with details of her complaints to the police in hand. DVO + this new offense should have been obvious that he has reoffend - the police’s behavior was completely negligent
Are you saying that police released him on bail?
Article clearly says:
At the beginning of April 2021, police charged Johnston with four serious domestic violence offences against Wilkinson. He was given watch house bail. In the weeks that followed, Wilkinson attempted to speak to police “almost every day” about her concerns
I’m not a lawyer, nor an Australian lawyer, but a quick search seems that “watch house bail” is the term for “released on bail/bond” equivalent - hence the prior link to the Queensland government website.
In that case then yeah they screwed up.
With weekly break-ins, they could have watched the place and arrested whoever is breaking in for, you know, the crime of breaking and entering. They could have further gotten a protective order against the dude and then watched the place again after he left jail.
She didn’t report the break-in once, it was 5 times for weeks leading up to her murder.
