Pregnant and frightened, Kardell Lomas begged for help. Police found her body in the boot of a car

"Neighbours had heard a woman crying at the house on McGill Street. In the first few days of December 2019, things got bad again behind the high fences at the property south of Ipswich. The abuse became more frequent. A man's voice screaming; a woman sobbing, trying to calm him, pleading to be left alone. On 8 December came the sound of the man shouting: Get up, you dog. Come on, get up."

"Two days later the body of Kardell Lomas, a 31-year-old Kamilaroi and Mununjali woman, was found by police in the boot of an old car in the back yard. She was six months pregnant. For years after, Kardell's death didn't sit well with me, says her younger brother, Adair Lomas. It felt like the system had failed her. In the months before her death, Kardell repeatedly sought help from domestic violence support services and the police to escape the violent and dangerous man"

"But it did not interrogate the actions of police in the lead-up to her death. It did not unpack what her family and First Nations experts believe is clear evidence of systemic racism in the way authorities and services responded to Kardell's attempts to seek help. The coroner declined to hold an inquest because there does not appear to be any prospect of making recommendations that would reduce the likelihood of similar passings occurring in future."

Neighbours heard a woman crying at a house on McGill Street as abuse escalated in early December 2019. A man's voice screamed while a woman sobbed and pleaded; on 8 December the man shouted, 'Get up, you dog.' Two days later police found the body of 31-year-old Kamilaroi and Mununjali woman Kardell Lomas in the boot of an old car; she was six months pregnant. Kardell repeatedly sought help from domestic violence services and police, making 24 agency contacts and disclosing death threats. The coroner's finding outlined events but did not examine police actions. Family and First Nations experts view the response as systemic racism and demand answers.

Read at www.theguardian.com