Broken Trust: how police are failing to protect children from domestic violence
6/17/202624 min
Mason Jet Lee died at 22 months old after his stepfather punched him so hard his bowel ruptured. An exclusive Guardian Australia investigation has found that repeated warnings about his killer were ignored. Could an unpublished submission to the inquest of his death hold evidence of police failings? Nour Haydar and Queensland correspondent, Ben Smee, discuss what the violent death of Mason Jet Lee reveals about a broken system
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First 90 secondsNoor Haidar· Host0:00
[gentle music] This is The Guardian. Just a warning before we start. This episode contains references to domestic and family violence, including child abuse. Please take care while listening. I'm Noor Haydar, coming to you from Gadigal Land, and this is The Full Story. [gentle music] Mason Jet Lee was 22 months old when he died.
Ben Smee· Guest0:30
This is a very, very high-profile case in Queensland.
Noor Haidar· Host0:34
His stepfather punched him so hard in the stomach that the toddler's bowel ruptured.
Ben Smee· Guest0:40
William Andrew O'Sullivan was a, a violent man, a controlling man, someone with a, a long history of criminal offenses, of coercive controlling behavior.
Noor Haidar· Host0:51
Now, a decade on, an exclusive investigation has found that police ignored repeated warnings about the young boy's killer before his death.
Ben Smee· Guest1:03
Police took this report. The officer wrote that the woman's call was vexatious, and placed a flag on the file.
Noor Haidar· Host1:11
Guardian Australia's Broken Trust investigation has also revealed that information was not presented at an inquest into Mason's death, while the coroner's report also overlooked other apparent police failures.
Ben Smee· Guest1:28
There was