A woman murdered by her ex-husband could have survived if she had a simple device, her best friend has claimed.
Twisted killer Adrian Basham, 46, murdered Samantha Fraser inside her home in Phillip Island, Victoria, in 2018, before staging the scene to make it look like a suicide.
Her friend Lija Matthews said Fraser feared for her safety and had two phones, but was unable to call police the day Basham ambushed and killed her.
Matthews said Fraser could still be alive today if she had a duress alarm.
“I think if she had had one and pressed the button, the emergency services could have gotten to her quicker and things could have been different,” he told the newspaper. Herald of the sun.
Samantha Fraser (pictured) was murdered inside her Phillip Island, Victoria, home in 2018 by her ex-husband, who staged the scene to make it look like a suicide.
Her friend Lija Matthews said Fraser could still be alive today if she had a duress alarm (pictured)
‘I knew the fear I felt. ‘She was afraid of being alone, he was always looking over her back and she was afraid of being attacked.’
He Change for the Sam organizationwhich was created by Ms Fraser’s friends after her murder, provides women who have escaped violent relationships with duress alarms known as safety pendants.
At the time of her death, Fraser had finally escaped Basham’s abusive clutches and was ready to testify against him after he was accused of repeatedly raping her in 2014 and 2016.
Mrs Fraser told friends before her death that she “felt stronger and was looking forward to a new life”.
Police alleged Basham waited for two hours while Fraser dropped her children off at school before sneaking into the garage when she returned.
She was found dead in the garage on July 23, 2018, the day after her 38th birthday.
The alarm went off when he couldn’t pick up his children from school.
Multiple recent cases of murder of women, such as the stabbings at Bondi Junction shopping center in Sydney, have refocused attention on duress alarms which an inquest by Victoria Coroner John Cain could save women’s lives .
Last week, Coroner Cain called on the Victorian Government to change the way it treats women in the high-risk period immediately after surviving an act of violence or asking for protection.
The judge said Family Safety Victoria should expand victims’ access to devices such as personal duress alarms so they can immediately alert police when their lives are threatened.
Mrs Matthews, who runs the organization Change for Sam, said it was about “saving lives”.
He said violence against women has been “a national crisis for a long time” and that coercion alarms allow that women “feel safer in their own home knowing that someone is listening at the touch of a button.”
The devices, issued by the Salvation Army and Safe Steps (Victoria’s 24-hour crisis response service), provide instant connection to a security company which records audio and GPS coordinates and contacts emergency services. emergency.
The evidence collected by the devices can also be used in criminal proceedings.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said her state is ahead of all other Australian states and territories in tackling family violence, but more needs to be done.
Lija Matthews (right) was best friends with Samantha Fraser (left), who feared for her safety but failed to call the police on the day she was murdered by her ex-husband.
“This is a national crisis and it needs a national response,” he said.
“This week’s national cabinet is an opportunity for us to share what we have learned from the Royal Commission with our state and federal colleagues, but more importantly, to work together on the next steps to tackle male violence.”
Safe Steps, the state’s 24-hour crisis response service, also offers duress alarms, providing protective housing to victims escaping family violence.
1800 Respect National Helpline: 1800 737 732
Safe steps: 1800 015 188
