MEDIA RELEASE

Thursday 18 June 2026

Warning: The below post contains the name and image of a deceased Aboriginal person.

A coroner has found that racism or unconscious bias played a role in how police and the Coroner’s Court investigated the 1988 death of Gomeroi teenager, Mark Haines, who was found deceased on train tracks near Tamworth.

The Deputy State Coroner, Judge Harriet Grahame, concluded that Mark’s death was suspicious, but a lack of evidence meant she was unable to establish the exact circumstances. Her Honour said: “the work of the inquest was hampered by flaws in the early [police] investigation”, which was “superficial and inadequate from the outset”. She also found that an initial coronial inquest held in 1988-9 was “superficial” and marred by “various failures”.

“Our client, Uncle Don Craigie, has always believed that racism compromised the police investigation of his nephew’s death. Thanks to his tireless advocacy, almost 40 years later, a coroner has confirmed this to be true,” said James Pender, Managing Coronial Advocate at the Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Limited (ALS).

Police officers failed to forensically examine physical evidence, keep thorough records, or interview key witnesses. From the beginning, they treated Mark’s death as a suicide – a conclusion that Mark’s family have always strongly refuted. Today, the Deputy State Coroner ruled out suicide and said that police made a “critical error” in making this assumption.

During the investigation, police dismissed the views of Mark’s family and were not forthcoming in their communication. Mr Craigie told the inquest:

“We never felt believed. We never felt like anyone was particularly interested in what we had to say, what information we had, or what we were concerned about. We were made to feel that as Blackfellas, we can only ever be a suspect or a criminal, never the victim or the family of a victim deserving of care, respect, and dignity.”

Judge Grahame found the investigating officers’ racial bias was connected to broader, prevailing attitudes in Tamworth at the time. This “grows out of our colonial history and should not be ignored,” Her Honour said.

Her Honour said the police and coronial investigations would have proceeded differently if a white teenager had been found deceased in similar circumstances.

It is not the first time a coroner has found that racial bias impacted a police investigation into the death of an Aboriginal teenager. In 2024, State Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan found that “casual racism” existed within the NSW Police Force when officers investigated the 1987 deaths of Murrawarri and Kunja girl Mona Lisa Smith, and Wangkumara and Kunja girl Jacinta (Cindy) Smith.

“The ALS knows from the experiences of our clients that systemic racism remains deeply entrenched in the NSW Police Force today. This coronial finding highlights the need for further truth-telling about its impact, as well as action to address it,” Mr Pender said.

While no one has ever been charged in relation to Mark’s death, his family have always maintained he was not alone when he died. Judge Grahame affirmed that the evidence suggests others were present or somehow involved; and that people in the community still have information and have not come forward. Her Honour recommended that the death be referred to the NSW Police unsolved homicide unit for further investigation.

The NSW Government is offering a $1 million reward for information about Mark’s death. Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers or their local police station.