Death of Ms Dhu

Julieka Ivanna Dhu (December 26, 1991 — August 4, 2014) (usually called Ms Dhu out of respect for Aboriginal customs) was an Aboriginal Australian woman who died in police custody on 4 August 2014.

She was put in jail for not paying fines. She complained about pain and was sent to hospital, but staff there believed she was suffering from the effects of drugs. She was returned to prison and then sent back to hospital about complaining about not being able to stand. She died from an infection caused by a rib that was broken before she was arrested.

Many people in Australia were upset about Ms Dhu's death. They thought she died because the police and hospital staff were being racist to her.

 Background 
Ms Dhu
Ms Dhu was born on 26 December 1991 in Western Australia.  She was of the Yamatji people. She was "cheerful" as a child and didn't have a lot of serious health problems. Dhu completed Year Eleven; but her family said that after not completing school, her friends were "bad" and that she was a "wild child".

In November 2009, when she was 17, police found Dhu sleeping near Cable Beach; when they woke her up, she seemed to be intoxicated, used bad language towards them, and said "I don't remember anything after taking that eccy".  The police arrested her for her behaviour and for not telling the police her name and address, keeping her in jail for one night.  They let her go the next morning on bail, but she did not come to Court when the police case against her was held, and the court said she had to pay the police $200 as punishment.  

The next year, Dhu got in some small troubles with the police after she moved back to Port Hedland.  Once, she kicked a female police officer while being put under police control for Dhu's behaviour.  The court again said she had to pay the police money as punishment.

In 2013, when Dhu was 21 years old, her boyfriend was a 42-year-old man, Dion Ruffin, who Dhu did not know did violent things to his girlfriends.

 Arrest 
Ms Dhu's partner was abusing her, so she called the police for help. Instead, they arrested both of them. She had a warrant for her arrest due to unpaid fines that came from three arrests when she was a teenager.

 Death 
While in jail, Ms Dhu told guards that she could not stand. The officers thought she was out of her mind and called her names like "junkie". Dhu fell and the officers let her fall to the ground and hit her head. They got tired of her and so sent her to hospital. When they got there, the officers told the nurses that Dhu was acting.

53 minutes after Ms Dhu arrived at hospital, she was pronounced dead.

 References

Category:1991 births
Category:2014 deaths
Category:2014 in Australia
Category:Indigenous Australian history
Category:Police misconduct