NSW police watchdog report on inadequate response to Lindy Lucena’s 2023 bashing death
Consensus Summary
The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (Lecc) released a report criticizing NSW Police’s response to the 2023 bashing death of Lindy Lucena, a 64-year-old woman killed by her partner in Ballina. A Triple Zero call reporting she was ‘being bashed’ was logged at 7:03 PM on January 3, 2023, but officers took 45 minutes to arrive and failed to exit their cars to search the area, despite her body being found nearby hours later. The Lecc found no serious misconduct but identified systemic failures, including delayed broadcasts of the call and officers’ reliance on the single caller’s report to downplay the severity. Both sources agree the response was ‘inadequate’ and recommend reviews of dispatch systems and critical incident guidelines. Lucena’s partner, Robert Huber, was convicted of manslaughter in 2025. The family has long argued timely police action could have saved her life, while police maintain officers acted appropriately under pressure.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Lindy Lucena, 64, was found dead behind the Salvation Army building in Ballina on 3 January 2023 after being beaten by her partner, Robert Huber.
- A Triple Zero call reporting Lucena was ‘being bashed’ was logged at 7:03 PM on 3 January 2023 and categorized as a priority 2 job.
- Two officers responded 45 minutes after the first broadcast but did not exit their cars to search the area, despite Lucena being nearby.
- Robert Huber (69) was convicted of Lucena’s manslaughter in July 2025 and sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison.
- The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (Lecc) found no serious misconduct by officers but criticized the ‘inadequate’ response and systemic issues.
- The Lecc report recommended an urgent review of radio room operations and critical incident guidelines.
- The Triple Zero call was initially broadcast seven minutes after logging due to a dispatch assistant’s mistake, with subsequent broadcasts delayed beyond required intervals.
- Officers were influenced by the single caller’s report and presumed the assault was not serious or had stopped.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Lindy Lucena’s sister, Julie Viney, called for a coronial inquest but died in 2024 before it was announced.
- The coronial inquest cannot proceed until the criminal court appeals process is finalized.
- Legal counsel for NSW Police, Tim Smartt, argued the officers faced an ‘unfair public attack’ and dismissed recommendations as unnecessary.
- The ABC reported that Lucena’s daughter believes her mother could have been saved with a timely police response.
- The Triple Zero call was categorized as a ‘concern for welfare’ rather than an assault.
- The Lecc report noted that acting assistant commissioner Tracy Chapman considered declaring Lucena’s death a critical incident but did not document the decision on a P1179 form.
- The police force gave a ‘misleading’ response when asked about the P1179 form, claiming no obligation to provide it.
- Officer C stated he wished he had exited the car but believed no procedural error was made.
- Officer D refuted the suggestion that they should have walked around the building.
- The Lecc found the police submission ‘misconceived’ and that the lack of misconduct did not invalidate the inquiry’s justification.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian states Lucena likely died ‘at or about 7:20 PM’ or ‘just after 9:30 PM,’ while the ABC does not specify a time of death beyond the night of January 3, 2023.
- The ABC notes the Triple Zero call was categorized as a ‘concern for welfare,’ but the Guardian does not mention this specific categorization.
- The Guardian includes a quote from Officer C saying he ‘didn’t think there was anything procedurally he should have done differently,’ while the ABC does not reference this specific officer statement.
Source Articles
‘Inadequate’: NSW police criticised for not getting out of cars after triple zero call reported woman being bashed
Independent watchdog clears officers of serious misconduct but finds they ‘did not meet minimum standards’ on night Lindy Lucena was killed in Ballina Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast At 7pm on 3 January 2023, New South Wales police received a triple zero call reporting that a woman was “being bashed” behind the Salvation Army building in Ballina. “I’m just letting you know, there’s a woman getting bashed behind S
Police watchdog set to deliver findings on response to woman's bashing death
The police watchdog is set to deliver its findings into an investigation of the response to Lindy Lucena's death after her family called for scrutiny.