Help Jacquie Thomson hold NSW police accountable & overhaul DV misidentification
In early 2024 Jacquie Thomson was violently assaulted with a dangerous weapon at her Dad's memorial service.
Her attacker was someone she knew, someone she had the right to be safe with.
The next day Police arrived at Jacquie’s door.
But they weren’t there to take her statement. Instead they arrested and charged Jacquie over her own assault.
Why?
Because her attacker had made a bogus police complaint.
This photograph is of Jacquie on the day she was charged.
Nearly a year later, the court found that Jacquie’s attacker was the “violent aggressor” and the matter was thrown out.
But by then it had cost Jacquie a year of anxiety and stress, and more than $30,000 in legal and medical bills and other costs.
“It's cost me almost $18,000 in legal fees alone, which I scraped together from loans and raiding my Super savings.”
How will my donation be used?
With your help, Jacquie now is fighting back: not just against her abuser but against a system that frequently misidentifies and charges the wrong person in domestic and family violence matters. She wants reform so that no other victims of domestic and family violence are ever wrongly charged.
Your donation will help get Jacquie back on her feet and allow her to campaign for reform.
The issue:
Crime statistics show that in NSW last year, 54 per cent of the women charged with assault following a domestic violence callout were subsequently found to be a previous victim/survivor of domestic violence.
There are similar figures in every Australian jurisdiction.
Misidentification can occur due to police inexperience, racial bias, a lack of understanding of how trauma can present, or misinterpretation of self defence.
Police who refuse to admit their mistake often “double down”, persisting on taking the matter to court.
To learn more about police misidentification and what can be done to stop it visit:
https://www.anrows.org.au/publication/accurately-identifying-the-person-most-in-need-of-protection-in-domestic-and-family-violence-law
To read Jaquie’s full story on news.com.au visit https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/she-was-brutally-attacked-but-what-happened-next-was-worse/news-story/7ee3da14939998de74238d231e6d7427
This GoFundMe was written by Walkley Award winning journalist and advocate Nina Funnell and is authorised by Jacquie Thomson who is the sole beneficiary of the GoFundMe.
If you or someone you know has been impacted by domestic or family violence
Call 1800 FULL STOP on 1800 385 578 or visit https://fullstop.org.au/
Organizer and beneficiary
Jacquie Thomson
Beneficiary