The dad of two young girls who died in a hot car is suing the government, claiming ‘no one listened’ when he voiced his concerns about their care.
Peter Jackson is suing the government of Queensland, Australia, after losing his daughters Darcey Helen and Chloe Ann, aged two-and-a-half and 18 months respectively.
The two girls died in Logan in 2019 after being stuck in a hot car while their mother Kerri-Ann Conley slept.
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After Conley was sentenced to nine years in prison for manslaughter in February, Jackson is suing the government of Queensland – seeking damages for personal injuries he claims to have suffered as a result of the girls’ deaths – with the Queensland Supreme Court having granted him the right to commence legal proceedings.
However, he is also calling for change within the state’s child safety department, alleging it failed to act when he raised a number of complaints.
“If the Department of Child Safety had done what they were supposed to, then the girls would also still be here,” Jackson said in a statement.
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“They would be growing up and going off to kindy and to prep.
“Knowing that their deaths should never, ever have been allowed to happen makes the loss of Darcey and Chloe even worse.”
Jackson said his daughters were ‘innocent babies’ who had ‘their whole lives ahead of them’ when they tragically died.
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“Every day since then has been a living nightmare,” he added.
“My world has unravelled and I will never be the same after losing them.”
Jackson blames the girls’ mother for their deaths, claiming she was ‘high on ice’ when they were ‘left in a boiling car’.
But he is also arguing that the Department of Child Safety ‘ignored repeated reports about the danger the girls were both in’ while in Conley’s care.
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“I made several reports to Child Safety about my concerns for the girls’ safety and about their mother’s drug abuse, which was getting worse,” Jackson said.
“Other people made reports to [the department] and to Queensland Police. Still, no one listened.”
He continued: “If Darcey and Chloe’s death are not to be in vain, Child Safety needs to be accountable.
“An independent commission of inquiry must investigate the ongoing failings of the department and an independent supervisor must be appointed to oversee reform implementation.”
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A spokesperson for the Department of Children and Youth Justice said it would act as a ‘model litigant’ in the case, also claiming recommendations in a report into Jackson’s daughters’ deaths have been implemented.
“The death of any child is an absolute tragedy. The safety and wellbeing of children will always be the department’s highest priority,” the spokesperson said in a statement to Tyla.
“The Queensland Family and Child Commission undertook a child safety systems review following the deaths of Chloe-Ann and Darcey-Helen and made three recommendations. All three were accepted and have been implemented.
“Queenslanders need to have confidence that vulnerable children can and will be looked after, and that there are systems in place to look after children who are at risk.
“We are committed to ensuring the state’s child protection system is as robust as possible.”
Conley is able to apply for parole in November next year.
Jess Hardiman