Julieka Dhu's mother: 'I watched my baby die'

The mother of 22-year-old Julieka Dhu, whose death in custody is now the subject of a coronial inquest in WA, has spoken about the pain she felt watching footage of her daughter’s final hours.

Della Roe, Julieka Dhu's mother

Della Roe breaks down speaking about the final hours of her daughter Julieka Dhu, who died in police custody in 2014. Source: NITV

The coronial inquest into Ms Dhu’s death in 2014 resumed in Perth this week, reopening old wounds for the Yamatji woman’s family.

Julieka’s mother, Della Roe, told NITV she was still struggling to cope after seeing footage last year of her daughter in her jail cell during her final moments.
“That’s the most hardest thing ever – watching your baby on CCTV coverage slowly dying in front of your eyes, crying out mummy, daddy,” she said.

“Was I supposed to jump inside that TV and try to help her?

"It's mentally disturbing.

“It’s a horrible feeling - slowly watching her die on CCTV… singing out for help, and no one helped her.”

The footage was aired during a two-week coronial inquest into Ms Dhu’s death late last year.

Watch: Tears and anger as coronial inquest resumes

The Point - Tears and anger as Julieka Dhu inquest resumes

Policeman admits: 'I though she was faking it'

The inquest resumed today, hearing from a policeman who admitted he thought Ms Dhu was faking illness before her death.

The Western Australian woman died in August 2014, while being held in police custody for unpaid parking fines.

She had complained she was feeling unwell, and was discharged from the Hedland Health Campus twice while in custody.

Constable Callan George, the lock-up keeper in charge of cell checks during Ms Dhu’s detainment, told the inquest he formed the view that the 22-year-old was faking it.

In CCTV footage played to the court, Const George was heard speaking after Ms Dhu’s second hospital visit: “Paracetamol? Paracetamol? After all that?”.

Ms Dhu died during her third visit in as many days to the Hedland Health Campus from staphylococcal septicaemia and pneumonia, following an infection in her fractured ribs that spread to her lungs.

The inquest will run from March 14-24.
Stan Grant
Source: The Point

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2 min read
Published 14 March 2016 9:12pm
Updated 14 March 2016 9:46pm
By Craig Quartermaine, Ella Archibald-Binge
Source: NITV, AAP


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