Osmington family shooting: Father Aaron Cockman welcomes parliamentary inquiry push from WA Attorney-General

The father of four children shot dead by their grandfather in Osmington has welcomed Attorney General John Quigley’s push for a parliamentary inquiry into the murders and the Family Court system. Mr Quigley on Tuesday informed Aaron Cockman that he had received advice from the Solicitor General that he didn’t have the power to overrule the State Coroner’s decision not to conduct an inquest into the killings. Coroner Ros Fogliani earlier this year announced an inquest was “not desirable” because the cause and manner of the May 2018 massacre had already been determined. Peter Miles, 61, shot dead Taye, 13, Rylan, 12, Arye, 10, and Kadyn, 8, their mother Katrina and his wife Cynda before turning the gun on himself at the family’s farm. The seven-day window of opportunity for Mr Cockman to appeal the decision has long closed, so the A-G instead suggested an inquiry by the Community Development and Justice Standing Committee. Mr Cockman said Family Court proceedings played a role in the lead-up to the murders and he wanted the death of his children to be a “cause of change in the future”. “The way I see it, children and family separations should be seen as not a law or court issue but as a health issue. They should stay out of the courts, away from lawyers,” he said. Mr Cockman said two and half years after the loss of his family he was “surviving ... and trying to live life”. He said he knew the answers as to why Mr Miles shot dead his family, but he wanted “everyone to learn from them”. “I want families to stay out of the law court system for a start, that’s just a no-go area. I mean, this is what can happen. We’ve got to prevent children from dying in the future,” he said, adding: “It’s not so much about laying blame. Of course, Peter Miles is to blame, but what causes that to happen in the first place? This is why I want everyone to get together and look at the situation. “ Mr Cockman’s father, Philip, said the “fingerprint” of the Family Court system was “fully across” the death of his grandchildren and he predicted three years before the mass shooting that the situation could end in tragedy. Mr Quigley has put the proposal to the committee chairman, Liberal MP Peter Katsambanis, and it’s expected to be discussed when the MPs next meet on November 4. The A-G said the inquiry would give the family the opportunity to put forward their concerns in the hope that wider recommendations could be made to prevent further tragedies. He said: “We all know, sadly, that this is not a one off, that there have been other murder-suicides resulting from family disputation and are these being handled in the best way possible?” “In Western Australia, we have our own Family Court ... although it operates under the Family Court Act of Australia, are these things being managed optimally?” Mr Katsambanis said any resolution would not be binding on a future committee and the inquiry could only begin in the next term of Parliament after the March State election. “On a personal level, I know the family is looking for closure and they’re looking for answers. Certainly my personal opinion is they deserve answers,” he said. Speaking following the announcement by Mr Quigley the Miles family said they were grateful an inquest would not go ahead as they continue to “put one foot in front of the other” to come to terms with the tragedy. A statement from Neil Miles, son of Peter and Cynda Miles, sister Katrina Miles, niece Taye and nephews Rylan, Arye and Kadyn Cockman read: “We thank and support the decision by Attorney General John Quigley not to overturn the coroner’s decision to not hold an inquest into the tragedy, but rather to put it to a parliamentary committee to consider if an inquiry around the Family Court in WA is needed. “We are still deeply affected by this tragedy and continue to be grateful for the support we have received from our friends, family and the wider community. “On May 11, 2018, we lost seven members of our family in this devastating incident. “The Coroner’s report shows that Peter Miles mental health was the key factor in the tragedy rather than an act of domestic violence. It was an act at odds with everything about Peter’s character which stood for family. “He bought the Margaret River property as a way to support his wider family and was more of a father figure than a grandfather to the children. “This incident highlights how important mental health is to a family and an individual. Mental health issues can break a person’s character, pulling them apart, using low self-esteem, anxiety and depression. “It can remove rationality and replace it with irrational thoughts that probably seemed logical at that point in time, but were of course, clearly illogical. “As a family we continue to put one foot in front of the other in the hope we can eventually recover.”