Domestic violence survivor speaks out about GPS ankle monitoring failure

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WAtoday And 9News Perth He cannot name the perpetrator for legal reasons but he faces multiple charges of sexual assault, assault including strangulation and deprivation of liberty.

He had previously spent years behind bars for domestic violence crimes.

“I felt pretty safe until August, when I heard he was going to get bail,” North said.

“Then I went into survival mode.”

Last year, the state government introduced electronic monitoring laws for domestic and family violence offenders to track down perpetrators in cases like North’s.

Corrective Services Commissioner wrote to WA Police Commissioner earlier this yearA warning about GPS tracking of domestic and family violence offenders in regional Western Australia can no longer be supported due to “unacceptable risks” to response times.

A judge in Western Australia told this imprint on condition of anonymity and speaking freely that the legislation is not applicable where GPS tracking is not available in regional areas because “putting someone in jail is not always an option”.

“We have to weigh the offender’s right to liberty. If they can’t wear an ankle monitor because they can’t be tracked, we can’t put them in jail as a substitute,” the judge said.

On Friday, Corrective Services Minister Paul Papalia took aim at the courts, making clear that he expected the courts to uphold the legislation he advocated.

“It’s shocking, I saw the report you’re talking about,” Papalia said in response to media questions about 9 News Perth’s television report on Thursday.

“I think most West Australians would assume that if it is not safe for an individual to be released into the community, it will not be so.

“The initial decision is whether it is safe to release that person into the community and that is the responsibility of the courts.

“In the first instance, the courts will decide whether it is safe for a person to be released on bail. If they believe so, they can implement a number of measures. One of these is now electronic monitoring.”

North said he still feared for his life and WA police advised him to move to the other side of the country to stay safe.

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“The detectives did a great job, they collected all the evidence, they put it all together, but the court let them go,” he said.

“Their [police] best option [for me] moving to the eastern states. “They even said it might be better to change my name.”

Libby Mettam, the shadow minister for the prevention of domestic and family violence, criticized the state’s justice system, describing the case as “shocking”.

Mettam has written to three ministers responsible for domestic and family violence but has yet to receive a response.

“There is no justice here when the only option for this woman to feel safe is to move interstate. We have a violent criminal out on bail who, according to Kelly, is not being pursued,” Mettam said.

“This is evidence of a failed justice system. It makes a complete mockery of the Cook Labor Government’s promises to monitor regional WA.”

“I just want people to know that the system is broken, very, very broken, and people are going to continue to die. People are going to die. That’s for sure,” North said.