Southern district police accept the Chief Coroner's findings, commander Superintendent Andrew Coster said today. Source: ODT/Youtube
A string of agencies will learn "valuable lessons" from the murderous rampage by prison guard Edward Livingstone which left him and his two children dead, the chief coroner has found.
Changes recommended by Judge Deborah Marshall would help agencies involved in work against domestic violence to better "assess risk".
Flowers are left outside the house on Kiwi Street in Dunedin where brother and sister Bradley and Ellen Livingstone were killed by their father. Photo / Dean Purcell
Thecoroner's report was released at noon today and follows the lengthy inquiry into the life and death of Livingstone, who took his own life and that of children Ellen, 6, and Bradley, 9, in Dunedin last January.
The report into Livingstone's death recommended specialist family violence training should be given to all front line officer and family violence specialists.
She said it would "reinforce the message that any incident of Family Violence must be treated as a serious incident as it may be part of a series of incidents" that could identify a pattern of behaviour which would raise the risk profile of the individual under threat.
Judge Marshall said police also needed to review how incidents of family violence were reported so there was a central resource which could be accessed by those attending inter-agency meetings.
Edward Livingstone. File photo / Facebook
It was also recommended police review changes to handling of adult sexual assault cases. The finding followed evidence that the rape of Katharine Webb, mother of Ellen and Bradley, was a catalyst to his leaving the home.
While police were aware of the allegation against Livingstone, there was no investigation.
Police admitted in the proceeding that further consideration needed to be given of the impact the rape would have on their children, who were present in the house at the time.
It also recommended specialist family violence training should be given to all front line officer and family violence specialists - a move taken by police in Dunedin.
She said it would "reinforce the message that any incident of Family Violence must be treated as a serious incident as it may be part of a series of incidents" that could identify a pattern of behaviour which would raise the risk profile of the individual under threat.
Judge Marshall said police also needed to review how incidents of family violence were reported so there was a central resource which could be accessed by those attending inter-agency meetings.
Judge Marshall also recommended a review of how information about cases was shared in the Family Violence Interagency Response System (FVIARS).
The recommendations were directed at police, the Ministry of Social Development, Department of Corrections, Women's Refuge, Shakti and health workers.
Judge Marshall found there were "lost opportunities" for the inter-agency network, which had classed Livingstone as "high risk".
The group discused the case on three occasions, including one discussion which included Livingstone giving his children cartridge cases.
The judge said it was a clear "red flag" but was not noted in minutes or scheduled for action. She said Livingstone could have been interviewed and access to firearms investigated.
