In 2004 Mulrunji Doomadgee was arrested by senior sergeant Chris Hurley for “disorderly conduct” and taken to a police cell on Palm Island, near Townsville. Within an hour, the Aboriginal man was dead.
In 2006, Deputy State Coroner Christine Clements slammed the police’s investigation into the death as lacking "transparency, objectivity and independence". She found Hurley was responsible for Mulrunji’s death, but Hurley was later acquitted of manslaughter by an all-white Townsville jury in 2007.
In June last year, Townsville District Court Judge Bob Pack overturned the original finding of the state deputy coroner and ordered that the inquest into Mulrunji’s death be reopened.
After the opening two days on Palm Island the inquest will move to the Supreme Court in Townsville from March 10th.
Background information can be found here and here.
In 2004 Mulrunji Doomadgee was arrested by senior sergeant Chris Hurley for “disorderly conduct” and taken to a police cell on Palm Island, near Townsville. Within an hour, the Aboriginal man was dead.
In 2006, Deputy State Coroner Christine Clements slammed the police’s investigation into the death as lacking "transparency, objectivity and independence". She found Hurley was responsible for Mulrunji’s death, but Hurley was later acquitted of manslaughter by an all-white Townsville jury in 2007.
In June last year, Townsville District Court Judge Bob Pack overturned the original finding of the state deputy coroner and ordered that the inquest into Mulrunji’s death be reopened.
After the opening two days on Palm Island the inquest will move to the Supreme Court in Townsville from March 10th.
