Baby’s murder by ‘dangerous’ dad was preventable

A girl’s death at the hands of her “manipulative and dangerous” father at a tourist attraction could have been prevented, a coroner has said.

Deputy State Coroner Ian White said many government departments made “significant mistakes” before Henry David Shepherdson killed his nine-month-old daughter Kobi Anastasia Isobel on April 21, 2021.

Shepherdson killed Kobi at the Barossa Dam’s Whispering Wall in Williamstown, northeast of Adelaide, on the day a court order was changed to allow him to contact his daughter.

In findings presented on Wednesday, Judge White made recommendations to the South Australian government to protect victims of domestic violence.

“This was a difficult and harrowing examination of a mother and her child subjected to domestic violence and oppression by a manipulative, selfish and dangerous man, culminating in Kobi’s murder,” he wrote.

“Kobi’s death, the sad and horrific shortening of his life, can and did evoke strong emotions and reactions… in the public mind, this was a murder-suicide.”

The baby and his father died hours after the magistrates court amended a no-contact order to allow Shepherdson to look after Kobi while his mother was on an appointment.

In December 2020, Shepherdson was charged with false imprisonment and threats to kill, and a no-contact order was issued to prevent him from contacting Kobi and his unnamed mother.

But he violated this order by calling her 149 times while she was in prison, exerting coercive control over her and manipulating her into dropping the charges.

The calls were not known to police, investigators, prosecutors or the magistrates’ court.

Judge White said he was extremely disappointed in police statements that Kobi’s mother “may refuse to answer calls from her”.

“I objected on the grounds that these submissions were completely inappropriate, given what was heard in these call samples,” he said.

Judge White said the ultimate effect of Shepherdson’s behavior was that he regained his right to legal contact with Kobi on the day he “so brutally murdered her”.

Prison operator Serco said SA police and the Department of Prison Services had each made significant mistakes that “cannot be ignored”.

He made extensive recommendations to Prime Minister Peter Malinauskas, Attorney General Kyam Maher and Police Commissioner Grant Stevens.

These included adopting recommendations already made by the royal commissioner on Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, Natasha Stott-Despoja.

Comment from the SA government and Mr Stevens was sought.

Judge White also recommended that prisoners’ phone service be reviewed to prevent contact with protected people and that no-contact orders be changed so that previous convictions for breaches of orders can be more easily identified.

Judge White said the security issues at the Whispering Wall had already largely been addressed.

Judge White said it was a deliberate choice to examine in detail the relationship between Shepherdson and Kobi’s mother “to give a clear insight into the insidious problem of domestic violence and the often silent suffering of victims of domestic violence”.

He acknowledged the distress this may have caused the family and said he sincerely hoped his recommendations would lead to significant assistance in protecting victims of domestic violence.

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