SA Police officers 'did not act appropriately' in handling of DV survivor's case

SA Police officers 'did not act appropriately' in handling of DV survivor's case Fri 26 Jun 2026 at 10:57am In short: Former police detective Matthew Alan Thomson was jailed last year for multiple assaults on his ex-wife Stella Magnisalis over a five-year period. A police internal investigation found three officers "did not act appropriately" in their handling of the case, though "no systemic failures" had been identified. What's next? SA Police's new dedicated Domestic, Family, Sexual Violence Service will start operating in July. South Australia Police has admitted that three officers did not "act appropriately" in how they handled the case of domestic violence survivor Stella Magnisalis, who was assaulted multiple times by her then police detective husband. Ms Magnisalis was repeatedly threatened, degraded and bashed by Matthew Alan Thomson between from 2013 to 2018. She said she made several attempts to make reports to police about Thomson over the period but felt she wasn’t appropriately supported and that the system had failed to protect her. While the police investigation into Ms Magnisalis's case was conducted under the secretive Police Complaints and Discipline Act, the ABC has been granted permission to report on its findings by the Acting Police Commissioner. "At least they did look at it … I don't think I'll ever be satisfied with the sentencing or the way certain police officers conducted themselves," Ms Magnisalis said. "You never know, it's like Russian Roulette who you get on the other side of the police barricade ... sometimes they're quite dismissive, sometimes they say there's not enough evidence, sometimes they say come back and we'll speak to you at another time, you've lost an opportunity there and it's too late ... we're losing lives." In a statement, a SA Police spokesperson said the Police Commissioner had established an investigation to examine concerns raised by Ms Magnisalis after her ex-husband was sentenced in June last year to two years and three months jail, with a 12-month non-parole period. "The investigation focused on identifying any gaps in service delivery and whether officers acted in accordance with SAPOL's operational response model," the police spokesperson said. "The investigation considered the conduct of six officers, of those, two officers received counselling in relation to minor conduct matters, and a third officer resigned from SAPOL during the course of the investigation. "The investigation determined that three officers did not act appropriately in relation to Ms Magnisalis' matters. "As a result, action was taken in accordance with the investigation findings and the applicable disciplinary frameworks. "SAPOL expects all members to respond appropriately to reports of domestic and family violence and treats any identified shortcomings with due seriousness." Despite those acknowledgements, the SA Police spokesperson said "no systemic failures" had been identified. "Where issues were identified, they have been addressed through established accountability and disciplinary processes," the police spokesperson said. Cultural shift Ms Magnisalis said SA Police still needed major changes to improve the way it handled domestic violence. "As it stands right now it will take a very long time to have a cultural shift in an organisation where their own staff don't come forward," Ms Magnisalis said. "I'm not investing my time or my energy in an organisation like SAPOL to make these changes, it comes from everyday people like myself." Commissioner for Victims' Rights Sarah Quick said it was important that victims feel heard and for institutions like SA Police to acknowledge errors. "For victims that's excellent recognition and validation but it also helps build trust with that organisation which is very important to a victim's sense of justice," Ms Quick said. "The more a system proactively support victims, proactively upholds their rights it really alleviates the burden for victims. "They can then focus more on their wellbeing, what they want to say and also their recovery." Ms Magnisalis said it was important that concerns raised by victim-survivors as part of last year's Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence be addressed, particularly in the justice system. "[There needs to be] further training, trauma informed practices, further education, they need to be held accountable for that," Ms Magnisalis said. "It's not our burden to hold anymore, it's not our shame, and a lot of the responsibility falls on the victim and it's for us to relinquish." SA Police said it would have a new dedicated Domestic, Family, Sexual Violence Service which would start operating from next week (July 1). "The service will be responsible for the coordination, delivery and oversight of royal commission recommendations accepted by government, providing a structured approach to ensure consistent implementation, development of specialist capability, and ongoing organisational oversight." The South Australian government said it had committed to spend $673 million over 10 years on domestic, family and sexual violence system reforms. SA Minister for Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Alice Rolls said the government's initial focus had been on stabilising existing services and expanding priority programs. "Immediate actions include strengthening the Domestic Violence Crisis Line, supporting women and children at risk of homelessness, expanding the Safe at Home program, and progressing broader system reforms including policing, prevention programs, legislative changes and community awareness," Ms Rolls said. "Other reforms are significant, and planning is well underway across several key departments." Ms Magnisalis said she would continue to attempt to stop her former partner from getting out on parole as she maintained advocacy work for other domestic violence survivors. "We see time and time again from previous victims … all of these people who are no longer with us, they could've had earlier intervention and they would still be with us today," she said.