Overview
- Detective Inspector Paul Fletcher told the court Brian Earl Johnston was improperly granted station bail on rape charges nine days before the killing, a matter that should have gone before a magistrate under Queensland’s bail laws.
- An officer logged one of Kelly Wilkinson’s complaints as a “street check,” a category not used for domestic violence matters, and left a database note accusing her of “cop shopping,” which Fletcher called “wildly inappropriate.”
- Wilkinson’s April 1 protection‑order breach report was treated as a lower‑priority job, and a responding officer later assessed her as medium risk after being unable to access a high‑risk report on a police tablet.
- Queensland Police outlined changes since 2021 that include mandatory five‑day specialist training for Gold Coast DVU staff, required database checks during risk assessments, and added resourcing for the unit.
- Accounts of internal consequences differ across testimony and reporting, with references to remedial training for some officers and separate claims that disciplinary action was taken, as the coroner considers evidence and prepares findings.