Chris Hurley Case Study

593 Words3 Pages
On Friday, the 19 of November 2004, Cameron Doomadgee was arrested by Chris Hurley for allegedly causing a public nuisance. Merely an hour after being arrested, Cameron was found dead in a cell at the back of the Palm Island Police Station. The surprising lack of action taken against Chris Hurley for his supposed "cold-blooded murder" sparked a riot within the aboriginal community. The response was to launch another autopsy, and a formal coronial inquest into Cameron Doomadgee's death. A number of inquests, trials and cases were ordered in the following years, during which the lives of Chris Hurley and his family, the Doomadgee family and the aboriginal community were affected. A trial in 2006 found Chris to be innocent of the manslaughter of Cameron Doomadgee and it seems unlikely, despite a case re-opening, that Chris will be found guilty. Despite the Aboriginal community failing to have action taken against Sergeant Hurley, they experienced a number of victories in other areas.…show more content…
Due to the large controversy surrounding the case, and the pre-established tensions following aboriginal deaths in police custody, Chris Hurley was in a way "tried ahead of the trial". The effects of this are numerous and severe, as shown during the riots a week after the death which destroyed much of Hurley's property. The case was also very prominent in the media, staying under the spotlight for three years before dying out. During this period, Hurley's career was very stop-start, undergoing suspension a number of times, his personal relationships would have suffered, and he was forced to move out of his home. He lost the respect of the community that he had worked hard to build rapport with, and would now have a permanent blemish on his
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