Father tells of devastation after finding wife and children dead before being handcuffed - The Age

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

Shortly after Tomislav Perinovic returned from a shopping trip to find his wife and three young children dead inside his Tullamarine home, he was handcuffed by police.

The Perinovic family.

He may never know what led his wife, Katica Perinovic, to murder their children and take her own life, but when police arrived on the scene, a shocked and speechless Tomislav was immediately treated with suspicion.

“When the police came ... I was in a state of shock, I couldn’t speak,” he told the Coroners Court on Tuesday as an inquest into the murder-suicide was concluded. “It was incomprehensible to me what I had just seen in my home.

“There were so many faces and detectives questioning me outside on the nature strip in front of everyone on the street. I can even recall one policeman yelling at me during this traumatic experience.”

The court heard how Katica’s mental health had deteriorated in the months before she killed Claire, 7, Anna, 5, and Matthew, 3, before taking her own life in January 2020.

A tribute left at the scene.Credit:Jason South

The physiotherapist had abruptly left her job and began treatment after displaying symptoms of paranoia and anxiety.

But coroner Audrey Jamieson said the treatment given to Katica, who was suffering from “first-episode psychosis” and not adhering to her medication regime, was “suboptimal”.

In her findings, Jamieson said the cause of death of the children was multiple wounds to the back, but she could not determine whether the tragic event was preventable.

“I’m unable to say with any degree of certainty that Katica Perinovic’s death was preventable. I find that there were missed opportunities to intervene in the course of the events preceding and leading up to [the children and Katica’s] death,” she said.

A paramedic lays flowers at the scene.Credit:Jason South

“I do, however, find that the mental health treatment that was provided to Katica Perinovic to be suboptimal in the circumstances.”

In November 2020, Katica was referred to a mental health service, prescribed medication and had frequent phone calls with clinicians. The court heard that Katica had become suspicious of colleagues and worried that Tomislav wanted to separate from her.

Three days before the deaths, Katica missed an appointment with a mental health specialist. When she was contacted by the clinic the next day, she said she was okay and rescheduled the appointment for later that month. Two days later, she and her children were dead.

Nicholas Ngai, counsel assisting the coroner, told Jamieson that Tomislav phoned emergency services as soon as he arrived home to find his son wounded and unresponsive.

After paramedics failed to revive the child, Tomislav then walked to the back of his house to find the rest of his family.

The court heard that he returned to the front of the home where paramedics had been working on his son and told them: “They’re all dead.”

Tomislav said he was mistreated by police in the hours after discovering his wife and children’s bodies. He said officers immediately handcuffed him while he was in a state of shock and did not offer him any health care despite his condition.

“The male paramedic treated me in the ambulance while I was still handcuffed. He was trying to calm me down,” he said. “I was not offered any mental health [support] whilst I was at the police station.”

Tomislav said his wife was a caring physiotherapist who helped patients over many years, but when she needed help, the mental health system failed her.

“It’s a huge shame that she was not provided the same level of care she deserved in her time of most need,” he said.

Tomislav still struggles to articulate the depth of his loss.

“I have no words to describe how a mother could do such an awful thing to her own children. This has devastated me, my family, friends and the community forever. Rest in peace, my little angels.”

Tomislav left the courtroom when the details of the deaths were read out. He held his head in his hands when his sister, Maria, described preparations for the funeral of the young children, sorting through clothing at their house for them to be buried in.

”This has been utterly devastating and shattering for our family,” Maria said. “Claire, Anna and Matthew, you will always be forever in our hearts ... we love you and miss you.“

Victoria Police declined to comment.

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2022-11-15 02:58:44Z
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