Coronial
QLDhome

Christensen, Corey James and Davy, Thomas Ian

Deceased

Corey James Christensen, Thomas Ian Davy

Demographics

unknown

Coroner

Bentley

Date of death

2018-10-01

Finding date

2021-10-06

Cause of death

Mr Christensen: stab wound to the chest. Mr Davy: blood loss caused by stab wounds of the chest.

AI-generated summary

Two men died following stab wounds sustained while forcing entry to a dwelling in the early hours of 1 October 2018. The deceased had been misled about the circumstances of an injured woman they believed needed urgent assistance. Upon entry, the homeowner used a knife in self-defence. The coroner found critical failures in police and ambulance response: the initial incident was incorrectly coded as non-urgent (Code 3 rather than Code 2), and responding police officers delayed their response to attend other matters, prioritizing a bail affidavit signing over this emergency. Had police or paramedics arrived 20 minutes earlier, the stabbings would likely have been prevented. The coroner also criticized the dismissive attitude of a police communications operator who doubted callers' accounts during the escalating crisis.

AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes. Report an inaccuracy.

Specialties

emergency medicinepathologyforensic medicineparamedicine

Error types

communicationsystemdelay

Drugs involved

alcohol

Clinical conditions

stab wounds to chest with pericardial and cardiac damagehemorrhagic shockhemopericardiumpneumothoraxproximal humerus fracture (Candice Locke)

Contributing factors

  • Misrepresentation of circumstances leading deceased to believe urgent intervention needed
  • Failure to code initial incident as Code 2 (urgent) despite indicators present
  • Police prioritization of bail affidavit over emergency response
  • Delayed police response from Ayr Station
  • Dismissive attitude of police communications operator towards callers
  • Delay in creating second incident (191) in police system
  • Additional delay in returning to station for accoutrements before attending scene
  • Inadequate internal review by Ethical Standards Command

Coroner's recommendations

  1. Consideration should be given by QPS to amending the Operations Procedure Manual to remove ambiguity regarding the requirement for officers to wear accoutrements whilst performing policing duties, including when called in on overtime.
  2. Ongoing and further education should be provided to police officers, particularly those working in communications centres, regarding the roles and responsibilities of Queensland Ambulance Service and other agencies operating on the ICEMS shared platform, and how they interact with law enforcement.
Full text
Official source Archived copy

Related cases from QLD

QLD2026-03-31

Inquest into the death of Kyle James Gallagher

22y · Male·Airway obstruction due to laryngeal abscess and laryngeal chondronecrosis due to…

Kyle Gallagher, age 22, died from airway obstruction due to laryngeal abscess and chondronecrosis following a motorcycle accident. A CT scan on 13 July 2023 showed a critically narrowed (3mm) subglottic airway with suspe…

ENT surgeryradiologydiagnosticcommunicationdiazepam
QLDhospital2026-03-31

Inquest into the death of Robyn Ann Beale

78y · Female·Hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy as a result of obstruction of airway caused by …

A 78-year-old woman died from hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy following an acute post-surgical arterial bleed that obstructed her airway after hemithyroidectomy. The bleeding complication occurred when she coughed after…

general surgeryanaesthesiadiagnosticcommunicationoxycodone
QLDhospital2026-03-06

Non-inquest findings into the death of Ms B

35y · Female·Hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy due to cardiorespiratory arrest due to vertebro…

A 35-year-old woman presented to a rural hospital with a three-day history of collapses, slurred speech, vomiting, and abnormal eye movements. A non-contrast CT head scan was normal, and she was discharged with a diagnos…

emergency medicinegeneral practicediagnosticcommunication

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. Some material may have been redacted or restricted by court order or privacy requirements. 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 — report an inaccuracy here.