An Indigenous mother whose son was kidnapped, tortured and murdered by her former partner says her baby could still be alive if police had done their job properly and believes officers failed her family in “every way”.
In testimony on Thursday, Tamica Mullaley says she described how she was left bleeding after being attacked by her abusive partner Mervyn Bell in Broome in 2013 – but when police arrived after being called to assist her, they arrested her, claiming she was abusive to officers.
Bell returned to the house, took the boy and murdered him. Bell was sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering and sexually assaulting Charlie. Bell killed himself in prison in 2015.
Mullaley says she told the inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women and children on Thursday how her father, Ted, had repeatedly tried to raise the alarm. Ted told police Bell had made threats towards the baby and that they needed to immediately search for him.
But authorities took hours to act on the information, before issuing incorrect licence plate details for the car Bell was driving when he took the baby, Mullaley said.
When asked if she felt police failed her and Charlie, Mullaley replied: “Bloody oath they did, in every way.”
“He would still be here if they did their job right, there’s only one road out of Broome and if they had of done their job they would have been able to get him along that road,” Mullaley told Guardian Australia.
After they found out Charlie was dead, she alleged police came to her house and “were abusing and being racist towards my dad”.
“If my family were white, there would have been more care, more help,” she said.
Mullaley was charged with resisting arrest, while Ted Mullaley was charged with obstructing arrest.
The WA government apologised in 2022 over the police treatment of the family, and both Mullaley and her father were officially pardoned by the WA attorney general, John Quigley. Quigley said both had been charged while enduring “the unthinkable”.
Mullaley said she told the inquiry police officers needed cultural competency training specific to the regions in which they worked.
After traveling from Broome to Perth for this week’s hearing, Mullaley met with senators who form part of the inquiry committee on Friday. She said she was grateful for the opportunity to share her family’s anguish, in the hope that it could bring change and accountability.
“We’ve all come in and been invited here. It shows they’re aware of it. They’re aware that there is something wrong and it needs to be changed,” the Yamatji mother said.
The Mullaley family has fought for years for an inquest into baby Charlie’s death in the hopes that no family would have to endure a similar pain. Mullaley said she told the committee inquests into missing or murdered Aboriginal women and children need to be mandatory.
Chair of the inquiry, Queensland senator Paul Scarr, said the inquiry was critical to improving responses to missing and murdered Indigenous women and children and preventing violence.
“As a Senate committee, we need to shine a bright light on this issue and grab the attention of lawmakers, stakeholders and the Australian public. We have people in our community who have been absolutely traumatised,” he said.
“We have to focus on doing whatever we can, in a practical sense to come up with recommendations to try and constructively address this.”
Dr Hannah McGlade, a member of the UN permanent forum on Indigenous issues and women’s safety advocate, is supporting families of those who have been murdered.
She said reforms are needed to ensure Indigenous families are treated appropriately in all circumstances.
“We see a pattern of under-policing when it comes to Aboriginal women and children as victims and over-policing of Aboriginal people as offenders or perceived offenders,” she said.
“It’s a serious violation of our international human rights obligations and there has to be appropriate responses by the Australian government.”
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au
Crisis support services can be reached 24 hours a day: Lifeline 13 11 14; Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467; Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800; MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78; Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636
