Inquest into the Death of Petra Michelle MARQUIS

40y · Female·ligature compression of the neck (hanging)

Petra Michelle Marquis, a 40-year-old woman with a documented history of mental health issues including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and borderline personality disorder, died by suicide while in police custody after being charged with drink-driving. She had been arrested with a blood alcohol level of 0.142%, detained at Rockingham Police Station, and released at 12:37 am after being disqualified from driving. Within 12 minutes, she used flag pole cords to hang herself outside the station. The coroner found the constables acted appropriately and compassionately during her custody and could not have foreseen her actions. However, the coroner made a recommendation that inexperienced probationary constables should be partnered with officers having at least nine months post-probationary experience whenever possible, as one constable had just completed probation while the other was only two weeks into his.