A grieving mother who was brutally assaulted by her former partner - who then kidnapped and murdered her baby boy - has finally received an apology and pardon from the West Australian government, almost a decade after "enduring the unthinkable".
Instead of being treated as a victim of domestic violence by police, Tamica Mullaley was arrested in March 2013 after a sustained beating at the hands of Mervyn Bell who left her naked and bleeding on a Broome street.
When police arrived on the scene, she was hostile to the officers. When her father Ted Mullaley arrived, the situation continued to escalate with the pair eventually detained, charged, prosecuted and convicted.
But WA Attorney-General John Quigley told parliament on Wednesday that Ms Mullaley 's actions were unsurprising given the violence she had suffered.
"Tamica and Ted have endured the unthinkable," Mr Quigley said.
"In just two days Tamica had suffered a life-threatening assault and lost her baby in the most horrific circumstances."
After her arrest, Ms Mullaley's 10-month-old boy Charlie had been left in the care of family friends.
Soon after, Bell returned to the area and kidnapped the boy. He murdered him the following day.
He was serving a minimum of 27-year sentence when he took his own life in 2015.
The police conduct in Ms Mullaley's case was criticised in a Corruption and Crime Commission review though it ruled there was no serious misconduct.
A coroner investigated the death but did not hold an inquest.
But Mr Quigley said both Ms Mullaley and her father had deserved much better.
"On behalf of the government of Western Australia, I am sorry for the way you were treated by the government and the WA police both before and after losing baby Charlie," he said.
"Ted and Tamica deserved compassion. Instead, the system we thought we could rely on to support victims of crime failed Tamica and Ted and they were dragged through the courts themselves."
Mr Quigley said the WA governor had also granted absolute and unconditional pardons to both Ms Mullaley and her father, in what was a "most exceptional step".
"These pardons are a show of mercy which have been a long time coming," he said.
Both Ms Mullaley and her father were in parliament's public gallery on Wednesday to hear Mr Quigley's statement.
