Coroner's Finding: Neubert, Olga
Deceased
Olga Baraquio Neubert
Demographics
37y, female
Date of death
2015-05-14
Finding date
2020-07-02
Cause of death
Contact gunshot wound to the head
AI-generated summary
Olga Neubert, a 37-year-old woman from the Philippines, was shot fatally by her estranged husband Klaus Dieter Neubert on 14 May 2015 in Hobart, Tasmania. She had recently separated from him following escalating controlling and threatening behaviour in the USA, where a protective order had been obtained and he was detained for mental health assessment. Upon returning to Tasmania, she consulted solicitors about obtaining protective orders on 21 April 2015. Her solicitors advised that obtaining a family violence order through the Magistrates Court would take a month or two, and recommended she seek a police family violence order immediately. However, the police officer she spoke with at Bellerive Police Station that evening declined to issue one, stating insufficient evidence of family violence. Critically, the officer did not identify her, take notes, or access existing police records that would have revealed the USA history and Mr Neubert's concerning prior conduct. No protective order of any kind was in place when Mr Neubert encountered her vehicle on the street three weeks later and fired upon her fatally. The coroner identified significant failures in both legal advice and police response, though noted these did not directly cause her death.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Contributing factors
- Failure to obtain protective order before death
- Solicitors' advice that obtaining family violence order would take a month or two
- Police officer's failure to identify victim or access existing police records
- Police officer's failure to make notes or records of the interaction
- Police officer's failure to consider history of abuse and threats in USA
- Inadequate police assessment of risk and vulnerability
- Absence of entry in police family violence management system
- Escalating pattern of controlling and threatening behaviour by estranged husband
- Husband's access to firearms without license or lawful reason
Coroner's recommendations
- Solicitors acting in family law must ensure all reasonable steps are taken to protect clients from physical harm, particularly vulnerable clients
- Police should identify all persons seeking assistance and access relevant existing records
- Police should make appropriate entries in the family violence management system for all interactions involving family violence concerns
- Police should conduct thorough inquiries when vulnerability is apparent, rather than expecting clients to provide comprehensive evidence without assistance
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