The Daily Telegraph reported that police charged a woman with domestic violence offences against a man who allegedly assaulted, stalked and threatened to kill her.
The court was told a witness to the assault called 000 and the woman was heard screaming for help in the background. The court heard officer in charge of the investigation, Constable Sam Adwan, did not attempt to contact the witness, did not read the pages of threatening and abusive emails the man allegedly sent to the woman, did not investigate the tracking device he allegedly installed in her car and did not question the man about scratches on the man’s face that allegedly appeared after he had been questioned by police.
Instead, Constable Adwan charged the woman with domestic violence assault.
In one of the many threatening and abusive emails given to the court, the man wrote, “I just need you to be a woman and shut the fuck and do what I say as I am the man and the head of this table wether (sic) you’re a part of it or not.”
Constable Adwan said he did not see it as part of his investigation to look at those emails.
The woman’s lawyer said outside court that a superintendent told him they believed the investigation by Const. Adwan was satisfactory.
The article makes it clear this is not a story about a dramatic Perry Mason style gotcha moment in court. It’s yet another story about police failing to believe a woman or investigate her allegations that a man abused, assaulted, stalked, and threatened to kill her.
So why does the headline ignore all this to sensationalise and minimise such deeply disturbing evidence?
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