Luke Batty inquest: 'We absolutely have to make perpetrators accountable'

The mother of Luke Batty has called on the federal and state governments to implement the recommendations of an inquest into Luke's death.

Rosie Batty with her son, Luke Batty

Rosie Batty with her son, Luke Batty Source: AAP

"Luke has not died vain, that has what I have been working for," Luke's mother, Rosie Batty, said.

"This could have been prevented if we review how we work together. We have to look at the issues around privacy, we have to look how to work in a more integrated," she said. 

"We absolutely have to make perpetrators accountable. Luke's findings helped me realise and through the journey before the inquest Greg was never made accountable, not once. This is unacceptable. And the biggest change we need to see is how we effectively intervene with perpetrators and work to stop the violence."

'Death could not have been foreseen'

Victoria's coroner has handed down his findings on the case that dragged Australia's domestic violence problem into the light.

Coroner Judge Ian Gray found Greg Anderson solely responsible for the death of his son, Luke Batty. 

Luke was killed by his father with a cricket bat, and Coroner Ian Gray says there is no validated tool that can predict when a mentally-ill parent would commit such a crime.

Mr Gray handed down his findings on the 11-year-old's murder at a suburban cricket oval in February 2014.

"Violence perpetrated by a family member is particularly shocking given that the family unit is expected to be a place of trust, safety and protection," the coroner said. 

There was no way Luke's murder could have been foreseen by agencies that interacted with Luke's father, Greg Anderson, or by Luke's mother, Rosie Batty, the coroner said.

He had heard evidence Anderson was suffering from a delusional disorder and was able to "switch between rational and irrational behaviours and presentations".

Luke was not afraid of his father but as he grew older he "managed his relationship with his father carefully", the coroner said.

"Luke was described as a loving and loveable child ... and, by his own account, Luke loved his father," he said.

'Police response contributed to Luke's death'

Anderson was shot by police at the scene of Luke's murder and later died in hospital.

At that time Anderson was facing four outstanding arrest warrants and two intervention orders linked to charges of assaulting Ms Batty, possessing child pornography, and failing to appear in court.

The coroner has been examining the police response and other factors contributing to Luke's death.

He said the very long history that ended in Anderson killing his son included an assault on Ms Batty in 2012, for which Anderson was not formally charged until early 2013.

Such delays by the justice system could contribute to an escalating risk of violence, the coroner said.

While not directly contributing to Luke's ultimate death, the police handling of a bail incident underestimated the risk Anderson posed, he said.

"Such delays, particularly when combined with other delays within the system, can lead to an increasing risk of escalating problematic behaviours on the part of a perpetrator," he said.


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Source: AAP


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