Tara Brown begged for protection order - but was turned down. Source: 9News
Two Queensland police officers have been disciplined for failing to grant desperate Tara Brown a domestic violence order against Lionel Patea - as chilling footage shows him fleeing from the murder scene moments after he bashed her to death.
Tara Brown, 24, was bludgeoned to death with a metal firehydrant cover by her ex-partner Lionel John Patea, 25, after he ran her car off the road on a suburban Gold Coast street in Queensland in September 2015.
Patea, a former Bandido bikie, pleaded guilty in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Monday to killing Ms Brown, a mother-of-one.
He was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum 20 years behind bars.
After Ms Brown's brutal death in 2015, the Queensland police looked into officers' handling of Ms Brown's case, the Daily Mail reported.
The investigation, which was undertaken by Gold Coast District senior management together with the Ethical Standards Command, found wrongdoing by two members of the police, the Brisbane Times reports.
"As a result of the investigation, two members have been the subject of disciplinary action," a police statement said. The police investigation was closed on February 17 this year.
Ms Brown applied for a domestic violence protection order against Patea on September 3, 2015 - five days before he killed her.
Ms Brown's application was rejected despite the fact Patea was "known for his violent behaviour" and had "a record as long as our arms".
Ms Brown's mother Natalie Hinton criticised the police for the way they handled her daughter's case.
"Because Tara went a few days after the events leading up to us visiting the police station, they queried her on why she didn't come straight away," she told Today.
Ms Brown was issued with a protection order days later, but it did nothing to prevent her murder.
The investigation findings come as fresh CCTV footage is released which shows Patea running down the Gold Coast street where he murdered Ms Brown, moments after he unleashed the horrific attack.
Fresh CCTV footage is released which shows Patea running down the Gold Coast street where he murdered Brown. Photo / Seven News
The chilling footage shows Patea's black four-wheel-drive speed down the road just moments after he forced Ms Brown off the road, Yahoo reports.
The footage then shows Patea run back up the road where he is seen picking up the 7kg fire hydrant cover, which he used to bludgeon Ms Brown to death.
A short time later Patea is shown speeding off in a white council owned Ute, leaving Ms Brown to die on the suburban Gold Coast street.
