04:28 EDT, 22 April 2021
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Queensland Police admitted to failing Gold Coast mother-of-three Kelly Wilkinson, allegedly killed and set alight by her former partner on Tuesday morning, after she had visited a police station twice to complain he had breached the conditions of a protection order.
In a major mea culpa, Assistant Commissioner Brian Codd and Gold Coast Superintendent Rhys Wildman fronted the media to announce an internal review of the tragic case and admit that they had failed to protect Ms Wilkinson. Ultimately it s a failure, said Codd. A woman has died. She s been killed. Somewhere along the line she has engaged with the system, and we were unable to prevent this from occurring.
08:06 EDT, 22 April 2021
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A father accused of murdering his estranged wife allegedly controlled what she wore, how she styled her hair and banned her from getting a driver s licence or a job.
Mother-of-three Kelly Wilkinson had sought a police restraining order against her American husband Brian Earl Johnston, 34, before he allegedly set her on fire in the back yard of her Arundel, Gold Coast home on Tuesday morning.
Ms Wilkinson s heartbroken family have since revealed she kept the alleged domestic violence from her loved ones for an entire decade.
Queensland Police admitted to failing Ms Wilkinson after she had visited a police station twice to complain he had breached the conditions of a protection order.
Police said Wilkinson contacted them on at least three separate occasions.
The assistant commissioner, Brian Codd, who heads a police domestic and family violence taskforce, said that alongside an inquest and separate criminal proceedings against Johnston, police would also conduct a review of its contact with Wilkinson.
âItâs important that we examine to what extent it is a systemic failure,â Codd said.
âUltimately itâs a failure. A woman has died. Somewhere along the line, she had engaged with the system, with us.â
Asked whether the incident was a wake-up call for police, Codd said: âWeâve had too many wake-up calls.â
A woman has died. She had engaged with the system, with us, and we were unable to prevent this from occurring. I would love to stand here and give you a 100 per cent assurance (that women who come to police would be safe from harm) but I would be foolish and I don t think people would believe me if I said that. The reality is there is no one answer. Assistant Commissioner Brian Codd addresses the media over the police response to the tragic case of Kelly Wilkinson. Picture: Brad Fleet He said police involved in the investigation were also devastated by the tragedy.