A Queensland man has admitted to splashing petrol on his former partner and threatening to burn their house down, in a court case successfully prosecuted by the victim because the state’s police refused to bring domestic violence charges.
In 2017 police told the victim, Dani*, that there was a prima facie case against her former partner for threatening violence, but because there was “a low level of public interest” they would not bring a charge.
Her barrister, Clem van der Weegen, said the private prosecution and guilty plea should “deeply embarrass” the Queensland police.
The officer who conducted the review recommended no domestic violence charges against her former partner.
Instead, police turned the tables on Dani and warned she could be charged with assault for hitting the man – who she says is much larger and was acting in an aggressive manner – before running to safety.
Skip to content
