Queanbeyan police have been challenged about their investigation into the death of a teenage domestic violence victim, with a lawyer suggesting the officer in charge "didn't care" about inconsistencies.
The February 2019 death of Queanbeyan girl Charli Powell, 17, is being examined by the NSW Coroner's Court in an inquest this week.
Jake Harris, counsel assisting the coroner, told the court on Tuesday that Charli had died "in the context of domestic violence".
Mr Harris said he expected the evidence to show boyfriend Rohan Rosewarne had been abusive during the pair's relationship of nearly two years.
The inquest is considering issues that include whether Charli's death, at Freebody Oval in Queanbeyan, was self-inflicted or caused by another person.
The police officer in charge of the investigation, Leading Senior Constable Emma Tubman, told the court on Wednesday that she believed Charli had died by suicide.
Lawyer Michael Bartlett, who represents Charli's mother, Sharon Moore, challenged the officer about this conclusion.
He said Rosewarne, who claims to have found Charli unresponsive in a toilet at the oval, had told "inconsistent stories all over the place".
These included different explanations about why Charli had left Rosewarne's home in the early hours of the morning in question.
Leading Senior Constable Tubman said she could not recall asking Rosewarne about the inconsistencies.
Pressed about why, she replied: "I just didn't".
Mr Bartlett suggested Leading Senior Constable Tubman had not challenged Rosewarne about this, or other issues, because she had decided Charli's death was a suicide before even arriving at the scene.
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"It didn't really matter to you what [Rosewarne] said because [you thought] it was a suicide and you didn't really care what he said," Mr Bartlett suggested. "It was staying a suicide."
Leading Senior Constable Tubman replied: "I did care but, in my opinion, it was a suicide."
Detective Senior Constable Todd Finnegan also gave evidence on Wednesday, denying the proposition Rosewarne was not challenged on certain issues "because it was a suicide and it was staying a suicide".
He also said it was "very wrong" of Mr Bartlett to suggest he was "not interested" in clarifying the inconsistencies.
The detective conceded, however, that it "would have been beneficial" for police to be less accepting of what Rosewarne told them and to have challenged him more.
This admission came in response to a question posed by NSW deputy state coroner Harriet Grahame.
Rosewarne is appearing at the inquest via audio-visual link from prison, having been jailed in the ACT over unrelated matters.
He is expected to give evidence on Thursday, having been provided with a two-volume brief of evidence and given the chance to look through it first.
Those who may be distressed can seek support by phoning:
- Lifeline: 13 11 14;
- Mensline: 1300 789 978;
- Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800;
- beyondblue: 1300 224 636;
- 1800-RESPECT: 1800 737 732.
