Baby Kobi’s “voice” was ignored by the police

Police say the “voice of children” caught up in domestic violence should be represented by an independent party in the aftermath of the horrific murder of baby Kobi Shepherdson.

Kobi’s father, Henry Shepherdson, murdered the nine-month-old girl in a murder-suicide at the Whispering Wall Dam in South Australia’s Barossa Valley in April 2021.

At an inquest into Kobi’s death in Adelaide on Monday, deputy coroner Ian White heard a court order had been made banning Shepherdson from contact with Kobi and Kobi’s mother following his arrest and detention for domestic violence in December 2020.

However, at the request of Kobi’s mother, the ban on contact was changed.

On April 21, 2021, the courts granted Shepherdson limited access to Kobi.

That same day, he took Kobi to the Whispering Wall, where he killed his daughter and himself.

South Australian Police Assistant Commissioner John Venditto told the inquest that Kobi’s mother was the victim of Shepherdson’s “coercive control” and her letter of support should not have been enough to change the order.

“The injunction against the murderer has been lifted,” he told the investigative commission.

“Not full access, but it was raised enough so he could access the baby.

“In domestic violence situations where it is a vulnerable person, and by that I mean a very young person, we should examine how and why a perpetrator goes from no contact to no contact without a psychological or psychiatric assessment.

“A change to the circumstances in which contact is permitted should only be made if the child’s voice is heard through an independent investigation or representative.”

In Australia, one in 12 murder victims is under 15 years old, with the majority of victims being babies, he said.

Shepherdson’s domestic violence allegations included false imprisonment and death threats, the court heard.

He was taken into custody but the investigation revealed that Shepherdson deceived Mount Gambier Prison to make 149 phone calls to Kobi’s mother and pressure her to drop the charges.

In February 2021, Kobi’s mother signed a form to drop the charges against Shepherdson and he was released in March.

“What we don’t know is the nature of the coercive control,” said Deputy Commissioner Venditto.

“It might be like, ‘You know, they can’t keep me here (in prison) forever.’ You know I’m coming out.

“I think victims who find themselves in this situation are in a really difficult position.”

Womensline: 1800 811 811
MensLine Australia: 1300 789 978
National Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Advisory Service 24-hour hotline: 1800 RESPECT
Lifeline: 13 11 44
Crisis and support service for family violence: 1800 608 122
Emergency/Police: 000

The deputy commissioner said that in “very volatile” domestic violence situations, victims were unable to think rationally about threats from their partners.

“I think we have a duty there to say (to the victim of domestic violence): ‘Well, you could say it’s fine, but you’re also being coercively controlled whether you know it or not… so we should have someone.’ have something for the child. It’s not just one thing today, tomorrow it’s something completely different.”

Monday’s hearing heard that a devastating chain of events preceded Kobi’s death.

Three of the family’s risk assessments were downgraded and police had no information or evidence of Shepherdson’s illegal calls from prison.

Deputy Commissioner Venditto said a “key question” for police was how to ensure victims of domestic violence felt comfortable confiding breaches of their protection.

“How do we influence a victim to confide in us?” he said.

“If a victim who may be breaching an order themselves is not prosecuted, that is very important. Maybe we need to communicate this better. That they won’t get in trouble if they tell us.”

The investigation continues.