Politician’s incredible act saved woman’s life – the untold story of an MP’s fight for domestic violence survivor

EXCLUSIVE

When Michelle Faye fired off a desperate and impassioned email to her local member of parliament, essentially pleading for her life, she didn’t expect to receive a reply.

But the Gold Coast mum had nothing left to try, having pursued police action some 20 times over four years in a bid to escape severe and potentially life-threatening domestic and family violence.

Ros Bates, the Queensland member for Mudgeeraba, responded to her plea right away.

More than that, she swiftly intervened in a way that Ms Faye believes ultimately saved her life, in an extraordinary act of community service that has remained unknown – until now.

“For the past four years … I have suffered horrendous domestic violence at the hands of my ex-husband, including strangulations, psychological and emotional abuse and physical beatings” Ms Faye wrote in that February 2021 email.

She went on to detail the serious extent of the violence she had endured, culminating in an attack that saw Daniel Gregory Mctiernan hold a knife to her throat.

Ms Faye explained that despite her estranged husband being the subject of multiple domestic violence protection orders, his repeated breaches had been brushed aside by police.

And she relayed the most devastating police encounter of all – being told by an officer that a 90-minute audio recording of Mctiernan bashing her, strangling her, and vowing to kill her might’ve been faked.

“I was told by a police officer (that) I could have been across the room hitting myself and crying ‘stop hitting me’ whilst nothing was actually happening. I was also told that it sounds like I was egging him on.”

The officer also told Ms Faye that “cop-shopping” wouldn’t help her – a disparaging phrase used by some police to describe women who approach multiple stations with complaints.

The email begged Ms Bates for help, requesting a meeting to go over the case and see if she could help, with Ms Faye saying she feared for her life.

“My case is a clear (example) of the degree of our national disgrace in domestic violence and the systems that do not work,” she said.

“I will be awaiting an urgent response as I don’t believe this is a matter that can be dealt with at a later date, I don’t believe that time is on my side.”

Within 24 hours, Ms Faye was sitting in the veteran politician’s office.

The moment it all changed

When Ms Faye arrived for the meeting, Ms Bates was already on the phone – a conference call with various government departments, agencies and services.

“Ros called the police commissioner, she got on the phone to ministers, departments, support groups – you name it,” Ms Faye recalled.

“She was really, really supportive. She had also spoken to all these amazing people who had arranged me emergency accommodation, a security system on my house, a duress watch. She’d made contact to escalate my issues with police to ensure that it was investigated properly.

“Within hours, we were in a safe house. Ros helped organise that.

“That same day, I received a call from the police station where I was told I was ‘cop-shopping’. It was a different officer who basically said, I’m sorry, we stuffed up, and you need to get out of the house.

“At that point, I was deemed to be a high-risk victim. It took four years to get to that point – four years of begging and pleading, of being ignored, and in 24 hours, everything that should’ve happened was suddenly happening.”

Do you have a story to share? Email shannon.molloy@news.com.au

A few days after that meeting, a detective from the Queensland Police Criminal Investigation Branch was assigned to Ms Faye’s case.

She was brought in for an interview and again provided that 90-minute audio recording, which had been overlooked by other officers for several months and then dismissed.

Mctiernan was arrested and charged on multiple serious offences relating to the long-term domestic and family violence endured by Ms Faye.

The audio recording was key to laying a number of those charges. Mctiernan pleaded guilty earlier this year and will be sentenced in December.

“Ros changed everything. The moment she stepped in, things moved extremely quickly. Having the case in the hands of the CIB detective made all the difference. It was finally in the right hands.

“I was told that my case actually should have been with detectives three years before, and it was never sent to the detectives.”

When Mctiernan was arrested and charged at long last, it felt like a validation of sorts – a bittersweet step in the right direction.

Ms Faye believes it wouldn’t have happened if Ms Bates hadn’t intervened.

“It was thanks to Ros. It was luck that I thought to email, luck that she’s my MP, luck that she saw I was in danger and stepped in to help,” she said.

“If not for Ros putting pressure on police, I think I would have been murdered. I have no doubt that I would have been killed. The violence had escalated so badly. I believe it was a matter of time until he went too far.

“I’m just lucky that I have a really good MP who cared. Not everyone does. And not everyone would think to contact them.

“The system didn’t work – it failed me. I’m alive thanks to luck. That’s it.

“Every day I’m grateful for the fact we survived and we’ve come out like we have. I feel grateful that I’m able to tell my story, because so many women that this has happened to aren’t here to tell their stories.”

Ms Bates declined to be interviewed for this story.

A spokesperson told news.com.au that she doesn’t want her role in Ms Faye’s story to detract from the important broader issue of domestic and family violence prevention and support.

‘I haven’t heard a word’

Now, as she awaits the sentencing, Ms Faye is taking stock of the enormous toll of her negative interactions with police.

There have been a few informal and off-the-record apologies from officers about how she was treated and how her serious and potentially deadly situation was handled.

But the insinuation that she “slipped through the cracks” of the system doesn’t sit well with her.

Nor does the tone of some of the remarks she copped, including the “cop-shopping” comment and the belief she had somehow concocted a 90-minute recording of her own severe abuse.

In March 2023, Ms Faye met with representatives from the offices of the Queensland Police Minister and the Attorney-General.

They encouraged her to file a complaint with the Ethical Standards Branch, which she did that day. In the 18 months since, there has been radio silence, and despite requesting an update, Ms Faye remains in the dark.

News.com.au also requested comment from Queensland Police about the status of her complaint and the reasons for the lengthy delay in addressing it. We didn’t receive a response.

“I suppose. I knew that something was wrong with the system and that this was not OK. The fact everything started working within 24 hours confirmed that what I’d done and the action that I’d taken was correct.

“But that was after about 20 formal interactions with police. The only positive interaction I had was after Ros got involved. That’s pretty disgusting, in my view.

“I completely lost faith in the police. If I had to rely on the police now for something, anything, I don’t know if I’d bother calling them. I don’t trust them. I don’t trust that they can do their jobs properly.

“I felt totally abandoned. I felt overlooked and ignored and discarded. I was completely let down.”

In response to a number of points put to Queensland Police about Ms Faye’s case, a spokesperson said: “The Queensland Police Service has thoroughly investigated several incidents involving the individuals referenced, which involved ongoing case management of a domestic and family violence relationship.

“Where investigations identified evidence sufficient to support criminal proceedings, that action has been commenced.

“The QPS remains committed to ensuring the safety of all victims of domestic violence through a multidisciplinary approach to provide victim-centric, trauma-informed responses to DFV.”

News.com.au also put a number of points to the Queensland Government.

In response, a spokesperson declined to comment on the specifics of the case, but said: “The Queensland Government extends its deepest sympathies to the victim-survivor and to all other victim-survivors of domestic and family violence.

“The Queensland Government acknowledges that domestic and family violence can affect women of all ages and from all walks of life, and that it takes a whole-of-government approach to stop these crimes occurring and hold perpetrators to account.”

Share your story

Over coming days, news.com.au will share more of Ms Faye’s story, detailing staggering and widespread inadequacies across government departments, agencies and taxpayer funded organisations.

As part of the series, we invite other survivors to come forward to share their own experiences – anonymously, if need be – of being failed by the system.

In publishing The System, news.com.au commits to shining a light on the inadequacies that can have severe and sometimes deadly consequences, holding powerbrokers to account and calling for change.