Kalgoorlie woman went missing the day her accused rapist was acquitted: court

Warning to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers: This story contains images and references to deceased people.

Western Australia’s Coroner’s Court has been told a Kalgoorlie woman who disappeared without a trace about 30 years ago was last seen on the day the man she accused of raping her was acquitted, but there is no evidence he was involved.

Counsel assisting the coroner Craig Robertson said on Tuesday that 33-year-old Josephine Jennings had a turbulent life when she disappeared in 1997, after growing up in WA’s harsh desert region.

He told the court Jennings was one of five children, and she took up drinking with her family after she finished school in the mining town of Leonora.

She was promised to an older Aboriginal man and had one child with him at 18, before having four more children with other partners throughout her life.

Jennings had a relationship with a local shire worker who was 30 years her senior and originally came from Victoria, and when her drinking got worse, his son and his wife took on the care of two of her children.

Jennings’ partner listed himself as the father on one of their birth certificates, despite knowing the girl wasn’t his.

She eventually stopped phoning and lost contact with her two children.

The court was told that, about a year later, Jenning’s life was again upended when she claimed she was raped by her sister’s husband.

“Josephine reported that he dragged her to bushland against her will, beat her to prevent her escaping and raped her. Josephine sustained a broken ankle and forearm as a result of the attack,” Robertson said.

The man was arrested and pleaded not guilty to the rape, and the case went to trial in 1997.

“[Jennings was] a reluctant witness as she was fearful of [the man] who was regarded as being an elder who held much authority,” Robertson said.

“Josephine gave her evidence from behind a screen to prevent [the man] from being able to see her. However, the counsel recalls him shouting at Josephine.

“A trial took place on 14 and 15 April 1997 at Kalgoorlie District Court. [The man] was acquitted of the charges and released.

“This was the last day that Josephine was definitely seen alive.”

After she disappeared, one of her children was raised by her sister and the man she had accused of rape.

Robertson told the court while the man had been described in the community as a “good and respected man”, it was at odds with a later criminal conviction that saw him attack Jennings’ sister with a spanner four years later.

“Police have exhaustedly investigated the possibility of [the man] being involved in Josephine’s disappearance but have been unable to find any evidence to substantiate this,” Robertson told the court.

Robertson said it was also understood Jennings had been suffering from cervical cancer around the time of her disappearance, but there was no evidence she had sought medical help for her condition after she was last seen.

Her family also said it could have been possible she had travelled to Victoria to live with her former partner and her two children, but there was also no evidence to indicate this was the case.

Robertson said Jennings was only reported missing in 2010 by one of her daughters, making evidence gathering a difficult exercise.

“The WA Police Force, having investigated Josephine Jennings’ disappearance, believe she is deceased and that she met her death by unknown means on or after 15 April 1997 at an unknown location. Her family have also long been of the opinion that she is deceased,” Robertson said.

Only one detective will provide evidence in the inquest, after compiling the file into her disappearance.

Jennings’ case was highlighted in 2022 as part of National Missing Persons Week.

At the time, Detective Sergeant Jude Seivwright said Jennings was a beloved mother and sister, and was well-remembered by her family in Warburton in the Goldfields.

“They remembered her as a lovely, funny lady who just loved hunting and telling stories, and being with the community,” she said.

“The loss and the not knowing is really traumatic for families.”

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