Ten days before murdering his former partner a man complained to police he was shocked to be served with a domestic violence order, insisting she had nothing to fear.
Doreen Langham died at the hands of former partner Gary Hely, both 49, in a fire in her Browns Plains townhouse, south of Brisbane, in the early hours of February 22, 2021.
Just before the blaze erupted neighbours heard a woman crying and screaming for help an inquest into the deaths was told on Tuesday.
Timothy Brear realised something was very wrong in the next door unit when he heard glass shattering - a sound so long he believed someone had been thrown through a glass door.
"I did not know what to do at first, I was just listening ... then I heard other windows being smashed," Mr Brear told the court.
"I heard a female voice yelling and screaming for help. I heard that voice asking for help, in distress ... asking for someone to help her."
Michelle Rielly was on the way to work when she heard a woman sobbing.
"I heard a lady crying ... it was a really defeated cry," Ms Rielly said.
Ms Langham had been living in fear after breaking up with Mr Hely and had finally plucked up the courage to take out the protection order against him
Camera footage captured the moment police served Mr Hely with the order warning him he had to stay at least 100m away from Ms Langham.
He appeared to calmly accept the order, but argued Ms Langham had "nothing to fear".
"I'm just shocked ... there's no reason, no reason whatsoever," he complained.
"There's never been any violence. She's never had to fear for her safety.
"I've known her for 33 years, she's my sister's best friend."
Mr Hely said he understood the order's requirements and was happy to accept the paperwork.
"Yup, I'm happy. Well, I'm not happy with it because I love her."
Ten days later, they were both dead.
Mr Hely forced his way inside, dousing the home they once shared in petrol before setting it alight.
Ms Langham had been on edge that night, calling for help around 9pm fearing Mr Hely was trying trying to break into the home.
She saw a man's shadow outside and heard someone try her side gate before she called police for help.
Four hours later, two police including the officer who served the DV order against Mr Hely, arrived to conduct a welfare check.
Body camera footage of the visit shows the entrance light still on as police knocked on the screen door for the cursory check.
The officer, who cannot be named, admitted at the inquest that he knocked once on the door that night.
He looked through a curtained window for movement or shadows. When he saw and heard nothing, he and his partner left.
They did not check the side gate or the back door for signs of forced entry but instead went to McDonald's drive-thru for a snack.
The officer said he thought Ms Langham must have fallen asleep.
"There were no signs of forced entry. It was dead quiet, there was nothing going on," he said.
"Knowing what I know now, there would have been more purpose to checking the side gate especially because it was mentioned in the job.
"There would have been more checks."
Deputy State Coroner Jane Bentley is probing the adequacy of the police response to Ms Langham's final triple-zero call and her pleas for help in a bid to prevent another similar tragedy.
She is also examining the response to the complaints against Mr Hely.
The inquest continues.
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