Coronial
WAcommunity

Inquest into the Death of Emma Anne Motteram

Deceased

Emma Anne Motteram

Demographics

17y, female

Date of death

1998-03-22

Finding date

2000-08

Cause of death

Neck injury sustained when struck by a motor vehicle (Toyota Celica Hatch Registered 7DK 026) being driven by Dr Peter Shen Chai Ng

AI-generated summary

Emma Anne Motteram, aged 17, died from a neck injury sustained when struck by a motor vehicle on Roe Highway, High Wycombe, Western Australia on 22 March 1998. She had been walking with four companions on the central median strip of the highway after being left by police when the driver of their vehicle was taken for a breathalyser test. The vehicle driven by Dr Peter Shen Chai Ng struck her from behind. The coroner found the death to be accidental and found no evidence of dangerous driving. However, the coroner identified a significant systemic failure: the police officers (Constables Nardini and Bill) who encountered the group failed to meet their duty of care obligations by not offering specific alternative transport options (taxi, lift home, parental contact) to the five young people, instead simply asking what they wanted to do. The coroner recommended an aide memoir be developed to assist police officers in such circumstances.

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

Error types

system

Contributing factors

  • Pedestrians walking on central median strip of high-speed highway in darkness with no street lighting
  • Deceased wearing dark clothing in low-visibility conditions
  • Failure of police officers to offer specific alternative transport options to young passengers when their transport was removed
  • Absence of guardrails or protective barriers on median strip
  • Pedestrians walking along edge of bitumen in area where vegetation encroached onto road edge, forcing variable positioning

Coroner's recommendations

  1. Consideration be given to producing an aide memoir which can be used by police officers who find themselves in circumstances similar to those Constables Nardini and Bill found themselves in on the morning of 22 March 1998 to remind them of their specific obligations so far as passengers are concerned who appear not to have a means of transport from the scene of apprehension, including offering specific options such as a taxi, lift home, or contacting parents
Full text
Official source Archived copy

Related cases from WA

WAcommunity2026-03-30

Inquest into the Deaths of Terry James CZERNOWSKI and Lachlan Richard Francis BOWLES

Male·Terry: gunshot injuries to the head and chest (homicide). Lachlan: self-inflicte…

On 7 September 2023, Lachlan Bowles (age 25) fatally shot his workmate Terry Czernowski (age 44) at Moylan Grain Silos in Kellerberrin, Western Australia without apparent provocation. Terry died from multiple gunshot wou…

psychiatryemergency medicinesystem
WAcommunity2026-01-08

Inquest into the Suspected Death of John Howitson FRYLINCK

70y · Male·unascertained - likely exposure or natural causes such as a medical episode

John Frylinck, a 70-year-old man with Alzheimer's disease and poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, disappeared on 18 January 2024 while walking at Mundaring Sculpture Park. Despite an extensive search involving 120 volunte…

geriatric medicineneurologysystemdonepezil
WAcommunity2025-10-24

Inquest into the Suspected Death of Guido MICHEL

54y · Male·unascertained cause

Guido Michel, a 54-year-old electrician with longstanding mental health issues including depression, ADHD, and previous suicide attempts, disappeared in late January 2022 after entering State Forest near Flint, WA with c…

psychiatrygeneral practicesystemcommunicationdextroamphetamine

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.