Daughter’s pillow-smothering declare in opposition to stepmother ‘scurrilous’, diverted police assets, coroner finds

A Tasmanian girl who accused her stepmother of strangling her father with a pillow had “apparent motives” for “scurrilous allegations”, a coroner has found.

In his investigative file, coroner Rob Webster discovered the 76-year-old man died of pure causes and wrote that it was an “sadly scarce useful resource that should be redirected” to “low cost the what can solely be described as a scurrilous allegation”.

Courtroom paperwork present the person and girl married in South Australia in 1975 and had no youngsters collectively.

He had three youngsters from a earlier marriage, however solely had a “long run relationship” with one among them – a daughter.

They moved to Tasmania within the Nineteen Nineties, finally retiring in 2015.

In 2020, the person turned very unwell and was taken to the hospital.

Mr Webster wrote that “due to the very poor prognosis he obtained palliative care”.

Daughter referred to as the police with accusations

The girl then informed his sister and daughter of his “imminent demise”.

His daughter went to the hospital to stick with him and a mattress was made in order that each his spouse and daughter might keep in a single day.

Mr. Webster wrote that the daughter “went to mattress whereas [the man’s wife] comforted her husband till he handed away”.

Days later, Mr Webster wrote that Alicia Barnes, Alicia Barnes, obtained a name from her daughter “wherein she stated she believed her stepmother had strangled her father with a pillow”.

The daughter reported to police a remark she believes her stepmother made to her earlier than he died.

“Throughout the dialog, [she] she informed me it is higher to place a pillow on my dad’s face,” she stated.

“There is no such thing as a part I see [her] put a pillow on the daddy’s face. There was nobody else within the room on the time [she] say this. i informed [her] that she will’t do it as a result of dad will know what is going on on.

“I feel I slept from 90 minutes to 2 hours earlier than [she] woke me up and informed me that my father had handed away. [She] informed me she was attempting to wake me up. “

The daughter informed police she didn’t know if her stepmother prompted his demise.

“I do not know precisely what occurred to Dad, if it was a pure trigger or if [she] did one thing to him. If [she] did one thing to dad, I do not know why mother did not look forward to him to take his drugs,” she stated.

Disputes over property

In his report, Mr Webster famous that each his daughter and spouse agreed there was “a dispute over his property and the character of his funeral companies”.

He stated the daughter admitted within the affidavit that she didn’t “get together with [her]”.

Mr Webster additionally wrote that the spouse denied the allegations and informed police to “do no matter must be carried out”.

A forensic pathologist who examined the person’s physique discovered that he died of “pure causes, specifically ischemic coronary heart illness” and located no proof to assist these claims. haunting assertion.

Mr Webster concluded by saying that there was no substance in his daughter’s allegation and a reason for asphyxiation might be dominated out.

“[The daughter]when she contacted Senior Constable Barnes, it was alleged that her father had suffocated,” he wrote.

“It emerged from the proof [the daughter] has a transparent motive for making the allegation she makes. “