PZ547
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The OP didn't provide links or really any indication of what we were intended to draw from it, although it seems it touches on DV laws -- domestic violence
Ok. In Qld, until 1988 I believe, it was open slather for violent offenders in the home
Another neighbour, second marriage, working mother, five kids in all. Three of his and two of hers
Once she married him, he changed. He was no longer forced to pick his kids up from school, do the grocery route, make the dinner, supervise homework, take kids to extracurricular activities, etc. All that fell on the second wife
He arrived home late and drunk as had become his habit. He enjoyed turning up his stereo to full pelt and too bad about homework or younger kids being in bed
She protested by retreating. He went looking for her. He was angry with someone or something which had occurred at the club/pub and had taken it home as had already become evident
Worried about escalation, she gathered the kids and prepared to take them to a motel nearby for the night. He wrenched her hands and fingers until she was forced to release her car's keys. He smashed the phone (dial-up) when she tried to call for help
More to drink and he tried to snap her forearm over his knee, talking to himself, 'Why isn't this working? It's supposed to break '. He told the kids he'd been trained how to break arms in the Army Reserve. He was apparently chuckling to himself. Kids were white faced in shock. The woman told them throughout that it was ok, don't worry, because it 'wasn't really hurting'
The kids started screaming. He took off -- bit more to drink. One of the kids ran to a neighbour to call the police
Police sauntered up, two of them. No hurry. Took the husband aside and asked what gives. He was swigging a stubbie, laughed it off, said it was nothing, just she was a pain and he'd shouted a bit
Cops entered the house. Woman was there, plus neighbour and the kids, half hiding behind stuff. One cop bailed up the woman, said the husband had claimed it was nothing and all her fault. Woman read the coppers mood straight away as did neighbour
Woman said, 'Look at me. Tell me it's nothing'. Her work outfit looked as if she'd been in an accident -- buttons torn off, one shoe missing, hair ripped out, etc. Her throat and chest were still red raw. The unbroken arm at that point showed no injury -- she didn't even mention it
Cop on his own now while the other one was chatting amiably with the husband out on the lawn. Cop inside the house assumed he was judge and jury. Demanded of the woman, 'What did you do to make him turn on you?' or words to that effect. Woman replied, ' I was here when he got home'. Cop took another tack -- 'Why do you reckon he did it ?'. She replied, 'Because he enjoys it'.
Cops weren't satisfied. They seemed to like the husband and didn't like the wife and didn't appear to want to do anything. So they asked which of the kids were the husband's biological children. And from those, they chose the youngest and least likely to provide a coherent account about her own father. But the little girl surprised everyone by telling the cops exactly what had happened, including the attempted arm-snapping and said everything had been fine and peaceful until Dad came home
Cops were not pleased. Told the wife in an unfriendly voice that they'd be taking her husband away to cool down for the night. Off they went with the husband
Woman and the kids were still shaky and in shock, especially the little ones who'd been in bed when it started. So the woman suggested they make some pikelets, which cheered them up
Ten minutes later, just when they were beginning to relax a bit, they heard the sound of a car in the driveway. Headlights. The husband and father was staggering drunkenly towards the house. Terrified, the woman's neighbour ran to her own house and phoned the police to say the husband had returned and was growling, drunk, was pointing into the house and the gathered wife and kids and looked 'evil'. Weren't the police supposed to have taken him away for the night, she asked. Police voice down the phone dismissed her concerns and snapped that they had better things to do than run back and forth to the house all night -- so 'just don't annoy him'.
Fortunately, the husband had caught a taxi back to his house to get his own car. He took off in his own car minutes later. Next day, he pretended to his family and neighbours alike that nothing had happened. He just brass-necked it through. Police never followed up
It wasn't until 1988, apparently, that police in Qld were required to remove violent domestic offenders. Until then, cops usually told women and kids there was 'nothing we can do' -- until copious bloodshed and at least a body resulted
Now there are claims that DV laws are being gamed and no doubt they are. But there's a long way to go before the gaming catches up with the inequality which was sanctioned for hundreds of years prior
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