Floreat Inquest Hears Litany of Missed Opportunities by Police
A five-day inquest in Perth heard that police missed a litany of chances to save Jennifer Petelczyc and her daughter Gretl, killed in Floreat in May 2024. It heard of unreviewed gun licences, unheeded pleas and emergency calls left on hold.
A five-day inquest in Perth has heard a litany of missed opportunities by police before Mark Bombara murdered medical receptionist Jennifer Petelczyc, 59, and her 18-year-old daughter, Gretl, in Floreat in May 2024. The family and domestic violence killings shocked the city's affluent western suburbs.
The inquest heard of a two-decades-long failure to review gun licences. It also heard of four separate pleas to police for help that went unheeded, and of multiple Triple Zero (000) calls left on hold as the murders unfolded.
Bombara forced his way into Jennifer Petelczyc's home looking for his estranged wife, Rowena, who was her best friend. He found the two women instead.
His daughter, Ariel Bombara, told the inquest the killings were "planned choices … made to murder, underpinned by a lifetime of power, privilege, control and entitlement".
Gretl Petelczyc twice tried to call emergency services. Both times she waited more than one minute to be put through to police, and the calls disconnected before she could speak to an officer.
Police policy required a call back. No one made one.
Ariel Bombara did get through. She and Rowena were listening to the murders in real time while on the phone with Jennifer Petelczyc, and Ariel waited two minutes and 18 seconds to be connected.
The call taker designated the job priority two. It took five minutes to be upgraded to priority one, and the first police arrived 11 minutes after the call. They got there just in time to hear the last of five gunshots, with which Mark Bombara took his own life.
Detective Senior Sergeant Matt Edmunds told the court he did not think there was time for officers to intervene and save the women. Acting State Coroner Sarah Linton agreed. She said that if Gretl had spoken to an officer, she would at least have been reassured that help was on the way in her final moments.
About two months before the murders, police escorted Rowena Bombara into the family home to collect her belongings. She had left her husband weeks earlier, moving out with Ariel.
She and other family members warned the attending officers about Bombara's fragile mental health. Son Isaac told police there may be firearms in the gun safe or "other locations".
Officers did not seize the weapons of a suspected domestic violence perpetrator, search the home for unsecured guns or inspect the safe. Had they done so, they would have found more than 1,000 rounds of illegal ammunition.
Constable Shaun King entered the house first and accepted a cup of tea from Bombara. His behavior was the "opposite" of what King had expected.
"I hate to say it, but he seemed like a nice guy," Constable King said. He told the inquest he had been impressed by the home's "million dollar view", and admitted this affected his ability, as an inexperienced officer, to assess Bombara's character.
The day before, Rowena and Ariel had gone to Mirrabooka Police Station to make a formal complaint of domestic violence.
Superintendent Andrew Wilson reviewed body-worn camera footage and said Bombara "groomed" the attending officers into a false sense of security. "I believe [his behaviour] was manipulative … calculated … in an effort to place seeds of doubt in the attending officers' minds," Superintendent Wilson said.
