Territory Stories

Coroners Act In the matter of the Coroner's Findings and Recommendations regarding the death of Ms Wendy Murphy and Ms Natalie McCormack dated 14 March 2017

Details:

Title

Coroners Act In the matter of the Coroner's Findings and Recommendations regarding the death of Ms Wendy Murphy and Ms Natalie McCormack dated 14 March 2017

Other title

Tabled Paper 242

Collection

Tabled Papers for 13th Assembly 2016 - 2020; Tabled Papers; ParliamentNT

Date

2017-03-16

Description

Deemed

Notes

Made available by the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory under Standing Order 240. Where copyright subsists with a third party it remains with the original owner and permission may be required to reuse the material.

Language

English

Subject

Tabled papers

File type

application/pdf

Use

Copyright

Copyright owner

See publication

License

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042

Parent handle

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/271492

Citation address

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/432582

Page content

"000" operator, he didn't really know how it happened but it was without his involvement (she just fell on something sharp, she was drunk and he didn't know from where she was bleeding). 141. To the police officers at the scene he said she stabbed herself. To the police officer arresting him for Breach DVO he said she had rung him and invited him home and then stabbed herself (the evidence from their telephones did not support that version). 142. To the officer taking him to the hospital for his broken hand he said he couldn't remember but he must have punched something 2-3 days before. 143. Two months later while in prison and giving fingerprints to an officer who had explained he was there to obtain evidence for forensic examination, Mr Swan mentioned for the first time he pulled the knife out of her leg. 144. When offered an interview by Police however he declined to comment or provide his version of events. 145. As the blood flowed K wementyaye lapsed into unconsciousness. She bled an estimated three litres of blood onto the floor around her and died. 146. Her blood alcohol reading was 0.200%. Dr Rutherford comments that would be a conservative figure as she was given saline during attempted resuscitation. 147. Mr Swan was breath tested by Police at 5.33am. His blood alcohol reading was 0.096%. 148. Throughout the inquest I heard not one scintilla of reliable evidence to suggest that Kwementyaye might have stabbed herself. 23