Inquest into the death of John Ross Jabanardi
Deceased
John Ross Jabanardi
Demographics
20y, male
Date of death
1980-07-20
Finding date
1981-12-17
Cause of death
Retro-peritoneal and intra-peritoneal haemorrhage due to perforation of the left internal iliac artery due to a gunshot wound to the abdomen
AI-generated summary
A 20-year-old Aboriginal man died from retroperitoneal and intra-peritoneal haemorrhage caused by perforation of the left internal iliac artery from a gunshot wound to the abdomen, inflicted by Constable Lawrence John Clifford during a police incident on 20 July 1980 at Ti Tree, NT. The constable was charged with murder but acquitted. The coroner extensively criticised the police investigation and forensic examination, identifying numerous deficiencies: failure to follow up assault allegations when first reported, lack of separation of police witnesses before taking statements, discrepancies in accounts of warning shots that were never adequately resolved, inadequate forensic examination (clothing not examined, critical samples not collected), poor coordination between investigating and forensic teams, and questionable police apprehension tactics. The coroner found the investigation fell below required standards despite difficulties inherent in the incident.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- Gunshot wound inflicted by police officer
- Inadequate police investigation of the incident
- Poor forensic examination and coordination
- Failure to follow up initial assault allegations
- Lack of separation of police witnesses before statements
- Unresolved discrepancies in police accounts
Coroner's recommendations
- Commissioner of Police should investigate the need for non-issue weapons such as cut-down shovel handles and amend Standing Orders to either provide for their use or prohibit it
- Police Commissioner should cause an objective assessment of the Forensic Science investigation with a view to improving performance in the future
- Improved liaison and coordination between investigating officers and the forensic science section
- Attorney General as Minister responsible for Police and Law should direct attention to the problem of police investigating police deaths and formulate a plan of action for future similar incidents
- Review of police media relations and maintenance of objective records of information provided to the press
Full text
Related cases
Source and disclaimer
This page reproduces or summarises information from publicly available findings published by Australian coroners' courts. Coronial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any coronial court or government body.
Content may be incomplete, reformatted, or summarised. All court orders for redaction and non-publication are respected; documents with technically defective redaction have been excluded from the database entirely. Always refer to the original court publication for the authoritative record.
Copyright in original materials remains with the relevant government jurisdiction. AI-generated summaries and tagging are for educational purposes only, may contain inaccuracies, and must not be treated as legal documents. We welcome feedback for correction —