The family of a mother stabbed and set alight by her estranged husband are seeking answers after evidence emerged of police dismissing her domestic violence complaints.
Kelly Wilkinson was accused of “cop shopping” by Queensland police who did not act on her complaints days before her badly burnt body was found outside her Gold Coast home, a pre-inquest conference was told.
Brian Earl Johnston, who repeatedly stabbed the 27-year-old mother-of-three, doused her with petrol and set her on fire at her Arundel home on April 20, 2021, had been subject to a domestic violence order and was on bail accused of sexually assaulting Wilkinson.
Kelly Wilkinson with accused killer Brian Johnston.Credit: Facebook
Wilkinson’s family said they wanted to learn details so far kept hidden about the police review into the handling of her domestic violence case at a coming inquest into her death.
“We are very interested to see what’s in it,” Wilkinson’s sister Danielle Carroll said outside Southport Coroners Court after the pre-inquest conference yesterday. “There’s a lot we have not been exposed to yet. There is still a lot for our family to process and go through.”
Queensland Deputy State Coroner Stephanie Gallagher on Monday heard Wilkinson told a domestic violence prevention centre she was fearful of Johnston because he had military training and had threatened to kill her many times. Counsel assisting Bernhard Berger told the pre-inquest conference police had not acted when Wilkinson complained nine days before her death about Johnston allegedly breaching a domestic violence protection order by contacting her.
AAP
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline at 13 11 14, or Beyond Blue at 1300 224 636.
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