‘Inadequate’: NSW police criticised for not getting out of cars after triple zero call reported woman being bashed
Summary
In January 2023, New South Wales police responded to a call about a woman being assaulted behind a building but did not leave their cars to investigate. Hours later, the woman’s partner led police to her body, and an official report found the police response was inadequate but did not find misconduct.Key Facts
- A call was made at 7pm reporting a woman was being attacked behind the Salvation Army building in Ballina, NSW.
- Police logged the call as priority 2, but a dispatch error delayed the broadcast to officers until 7:10pm.
- Officers arrived about 45 minutes after the call but stayed inside their cars and did not search the area.
- The woman, Lindy Lucena, died at or near the time of the attack.
- Her partner, Robert Huber, later reported her death and was convicted of manslaughter in 2025.
- An independent police watchdog investigated and found the police response inadequate but no criminal or serious disciplinary action was warranted.
- Police officers said they did not realize how serious the situation was and thought the assault had stopped.
- The report noted systemic problems may have contributed to the delayed police response.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.