An inquest may finally be done on the Australian family massacre that happened in 2018 but not the public inquest that the father of the victims has been asking for.
Aaron Cockman, the father of the four children--Taye, 13, Rylan, 12, Arye, 10, and Kadyn, who were killed by their grandfather, Peter Miles, has been pushing for a coronial inquest into the deaths of his four children. However, Cockman's request was denied.
Although, there is hope as there might be amendments to the Western Australian family law system in connection to the tragic family massacre.
The Australian family massacre happened in the Forever Dreaming Farm in Osmington on May 11, 2018. Miles, 61, did not only shoot to death his grandchildren, but he killed his wife, Cynda, 58, and their daughter, Katrina, 35, the mother of the four children, as well.
After shooting to death his family, Miles used the gun on himself, committing suicide, reported News AU.
Investigators had dug up that the three guns found at the crime scene were owned by Miles. The firearms were on the hobby farm near Margaret River, and all of the deceased died of gunshot wounds.
The Miles family massacre was one of the most violent in Australia since the Port Arthur incident.
Cockman, who was involved in a bitter Family Court proceeding at the time, was asking for an investigation. He wanted to know what happened and what caused the tragedy.
One answer given by WA Coroner Ros Fogliani is that an investigation cannot be done because how the victims were killed is already known. She added that a public inquest is not the proper way to address Cockman's concern about the family law system cited, WA Today.
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Cockman's desire to search for answers prompted him to contact WA Attorney-General John Quigley, who turned to Solicitor-General Joshua Thomson, for advice on the case, before holding an investigation, the Australian stated.
Last Tuesday, Quigley issued a statement that he could not give the order to initiate an investigation into the Australian family massacre as he does not have the power to do so.
He added that he also could not order the coroner to carry out an investigation because the time to authorize an investigation has already passed.
Mentioning that 'The Coroner's Act' needs to be overhauled and reformed, he added that it was on his agenda as well.
Quigley explained that the massacre was not the only deaths that are caused by a family dispute. Some of these are murder-suicides, like what happened to the Miles family.
The Australian family massacre in the Forever Dreaming Farm attracted national attention when the Attorney-General contacted opposition MP Peter Katsambanis. He, however, did not reveal what they had discussed.
Quigley said that a committee would be convened in November to decide if an investigation will be allowed. Still, he expressed that authorization by the committee will be faster than a request at the WA coroner.
Cockman said he was not able to see his children because of the family court. Now, he would never see them again. He stressed that family separation should be a health issue, not a legal problem.
The Australian family massacre shook Australia by its gravity in 2018. The case has no answers yet, just more questions.
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