A Coroner has ruled that Ms Dhu‘s death in custody could have been prevented, and that the Indigenous woman was subjected to “unprofessional and inhumane” treatment by Western Australian police.
Ms Dhu, a 22-year-old Yamatji woman, died in police custody on 4 August 2014, after being taking in to Port Hedland police station (about 1,500km north of Perth) for unpaid fines totalling $3622.
She was taken to hospital three times within 48 hours after complaining of being in pain, with officers believing she was faking or exaggerating her symptoms and many believing them to be the result of drug withdrawals.
“I have concluded that Ms Dhu’s supervision, treatment and care at the lock-up, particularly on 4 August 2014, fell well below the standards that should ordinarily be expected of the Western Australia Police Service,” she said.“Further, the behaviour of a number of the police officers towards Ms Dhu was unprofessional and inhumane.”
She chose to release CCTV footage of Dhu’s time in custody, but not of her final moments in hospital.
Outside the courthouse, Ms Dhu’s family said they were unhappy with the findings, because nobody was being held accountable.
“Her birthday is in 10 days’ time,” she said. “We are supposed to celebrate Christmas but we can’t because there’s one missing in my family. I have to go to the cemetery, that’s my Christmas.”
Source: The Guardian, ABC.
Photo supplied by Ms Dhu’s family.
