Image: (L-R) Detective Acting Superintendent Jason Darcy, Uncle Don Craigie and NSW Greens MLC Sue Higginson speak to media at the Tamworth Police Station in Tamworth, Friday, July 21, 2023.
by GRACE JOHNSON
A long-awaited coronial inquest into the suspicious death of an Aboriginal teenager began at Tamworth Courthouse this morning.
Gomeroi teenager, Mark Anthony Haines, was found deceased on January 16, 1988, on train tracks outside of Tamworth.
An initial police investigation concluded that Mr Haines died by suicide after being struck by the train. In September 1989, a coronial inquest returned an open finding on his death.
The Haines family has long pointed to holes in the police version, particularly the loss of crucial evidence at the time.
In addition, an autopsy showed that the 17-year-old suffered from a traumatic head injury and substantial blood loss.
The inquest comes after decades of campaigning by the Haines family, who are seeking answers as to how Mr Haines came to be found on the train tracks that night.
Lorna Haines, Mark’s sister, said, “My brother was a beautiful young man. Mark was a talented sportsman, good at school, popular and well-liked. My family have been waiting 36 long years to find out the truth about what happened that night.
“We hope that the Coroner will not rest until all the facts come out. All we want is accountability and truth. At long last, we hope this inquest will be the path to justice.”
Uncle Don ‘Duck’ Craigie, Mark’s uncle, said,“Our families hope this second inquiry will give us information that was not provided in the first. We are hopeful that answers about Mark’s death will come to light and can finally be explained.”
Family members secured the support of human rights lawyers at the National Justice Project in 2022. In November that year, the NSW Coroner confirmed that the court was reviewing Mr Haines’ death.
A coronial inquest was announced in May 2023.
Beginning this morning, the inquest will examine the manner in which police conducted their initial investigation, arguing the police’s conclusion that the death was a suicide or caused by misadventure failed to consider evidence suggesting the involvement of third parties.
Legal advocates for the Haines family will also explore whether racism played a role in the failures of the investigation.
