The mother of a 23-year-old woman who died by suicide in 2020 after a battle with mental health issues and drug addiction has told the ACT Coroners Court how her daughter was treated "appallingly" by various agencies, including the Australian Federal Police, Canberra Health Services, and ACT Corrective Services.
In her statement at the opening day of the coronial inquest, Janine Haskins described her daughter Bronte as a funny, kind and gregarious person who loved animals.
"She was endearingly known as our wild child," she said.
She told the court how Bronte Haskins had become involved with an outlaw motorcycle gang member for a time, then took a job as a residential youth worker, a role which she greatly enjoyed until she was assaulted by a client in 2017.
This led to her "dabbling" in methamphetamine use, and in 2018 she was also the victim of prolonged physical assault.
"Predators used and abused her [Bronte]," Ms Haskins said.
Attending court on Monday, in which evidence was presented to coroner James Stewart, were many family and friends of the deceased. A number were wearing purple T-shirts emblazoned with the motif "Justice for Bronte", and a picture of the young woman.
The police-developed PACER (Police, Ambulance and Clinician Early Response) program was in its pilot stage during Bronte Haskins' descent into drug use and depression.
One task of the inquest will be to assess whether the response of the PACER team was appropriate during the period of February 13 to February 18, 2020.
Bronte Haskins died by suicide on February 21, 2020 in the courtyard of a Higgins unit which was the residence of drug dealer Brett French, who is currently serving time for trafficking in methamphetamine.
There is CCTV footage available of the incident - not yet tendered in court - which showed the area in which the young woman died, however there are 46 vital minutes missing from the recording.
The court was told how the recording only restarts when French is seen to emerge and make efforts to assist and resuscitate the victim. Ambulance officers arrived eight minutes later.
"This [gap in the recording] is one of the more difficult issues in an analysis of events," counsel assisting the coroner, Andrew Muller, told the inquest.
The extent of the family's trauma was laid bare at the inquest, with evidence being given of a significant disconnect between the victim and her parents in the two years leading up to her death.
The court was told Bronte Haskins was arrested on January 30, 2020 and held in custody for nearly two weeks.
On February 12, 2020 she was bailed to live in a flat under her parents' residence in Cook, with her mother required to report any breaches.
Concerned about her daughter's health and welfare, Janine Haskins called police at 1.26am on February 15, asking them to attend the house under the premise of a bail compliance check. Police told the mother her daughter was "fine".
Her mother also sought assistance from Access Mental Health, unaware at the time that the person she was talking to was "triaging" her phone call. Ms Haskins described the tone of the clinician as "flippant and not that interested".
"I didn't find out until later about the triage system," she said.
