The families of three missing and murdered Aboriginal children from the New South Wales north coast community of Bowraville have slammed the police for publicly releasing information about allegations of historical sexual assaults related to the small town without talking to them first.
“We have been blindsided by this,” the Bowraville family representatives, Michelle Jarrett and Leonie Duroux, said.
“Our community and our families are already traumatised by the deaths of our children and the previous police conduct.
“We haven’t even been told if today’s allegations are linked to the loss of our three children.
“We thought that police had finally learned to do better,” they said.
Earlier today, NSW police issued a public call for information about a series of sexual assaults that happened in the Wollongong area in the mid-1990s, saying they “believe the town of Bowraville could hold the key” to their investigation.
“We believe there may be people living in the Bowraville area who may have information that could prove vital to this investigation, and we want to hear from those people,” Detective Chief Inspector Brad Ainsworth said in the statement about alleged sexual and indecent assaults committed by a man between 1991 and 1997 on a 14-year-old girl.
But distressed Bowraville family members say they have not been told if this conduct is related to the murders of their children, or if other children have potentially been the victims of sexual assaults.
“If this is not about our murdered children then of course we should have been told about this before.
“Our hearts go out to any family that has seen their children harmed in any way, and of course we are willing to help if we have any information. However, we need to be treated with respect and not have our ongoing trauma trampled on.
“Why are we always the last to know and keep finding things out through media reports and not through respectful and direct communication with the police?
“We are still waiting for an answer about our kids and our trauma, but we are used to waiting and we will always be committed to justice,” Jarrett said.
The public call by NSW police has come before the NSW government has formally responded to the most recent parliamentary inquiry into the Bowraville murders.
The UTS Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt, who has supported the Bowraville families for almost a decade, said “despite constant requests from the Bowraville community to be treated with respect, despite a parliamentary inquiry that found a history of poor engagement with this community, it appears there remains no respect. It appears no lessons were learnt.”
Greens MP David Shoebridge said: “Once again the Bowraville families are first hearing about crimes in their community through the media and the disrespect from police continues.
“These are grieving families who have never received justice, this kind of behaviour aggravates their ongoing trauma.
“Aboriginal lives matter, and Aboriginal families should be treated with respect and courtesy.”
In February 1991 the remains of 16-year-old Clinton “Speedy” Duroux were found in bushland. In April that year clothing was discovered belonging to 16-year-old Colleen Walker-Craig, and a week later the skeletal remains of 4-year-old Evelyn Greenup were found in the bush.
All three children disappeared from the same street on the southern side of Bowraville. Police believe all three were killed by the same person: a white man who has since been tried and acquitted of two of the three murders. The police investigation was found to be flawed and tainted by racism.
In the almost 30 years since the murders, there have been two criminal trials, two inquests, changes to criminal law in NSW, four rejected attempts to have the cases reheard as a joint trial, a landmark parliamentary inquiry and an appeal to the high court, which was rejected in March last year.
Following the failed high court bid the NSW attorney general, Mark Speakman, issued an apology to the families.
“I hope that those mistakes are never repeated again,” Speakman said.
“I am sorry that those failings continue to deny the children, and their families, the justice that they deserve.”
NSW police have been sought for comment.
