Chris Hurley

Chris Hurley is a Queensland Police officer, who is best known for having been accused of causing the death of an Australian Indigenous man named Mulrunji Doomadgee in 2004. In 2007 Hurley was charged and acquitted of the death.

At the time of Mulrunji's arrest Chris Hurley was a Senior Sergeant and was working at Palm Island, Queensland. This was after a series of postings where he voluntarily worked in Indigenous communities.

Media reports suggested that in the 2004 incident Chris Hurley assaulted Mulrunji causing his death. In an Australian national newspaper the situation was compared with the death of African Aborigine Steve Biko in Pretoria prison, South Africa in 1977. Police claimed Biko died of a hunger strike in spite of massive head injuries suggesting otherwise.

Death of Doomadgee
On 19 November 2004, Chris Hurley arrested an intoxicated Doomadgee for swearing at a police officer, and took him to the Palm Island police station to have him charged with the offence of public nuisance. Later that day, Mulrunji died in his police cell.
In three police interviews after the death, Chris Hurley claimed that he was not aware of how Mulrunji could have died, although he gave evidence of having a struggle with Mulrunji just outside the watch house. This resulted in the pair falling off a stair into the building together. A witness later claimed that Hurley punched and kicked Hurley immediately after the fall. Hurley denied doing so and also explained that in the altercation he recalled kneeling beside Mulrunji shortly after the fall. A police witness stated that it looked like Hurley fell on top. Later, one of the medical witnesses who was questioned by the Coroner at her inquest, testified as a prosecution witness at trial where he stated that he couldn't completely rule out the possibility of punching "but there isn't any evidence to support that proposition". The Deputy Coroner also recommended that charges be formally made against Hurley. While making the decision she reportedly obtained advice from former Supreme Court Judge James B. Thomas.

The Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) received complaints about the matter and launched an investigation. They were required to consider whether Chris Hurley wrongfully caused the death of Mulrunji thus requiring disciplinary proceedings for misconduct. The CMC's conclusion was identical to the DPP. They advised "...no disciplinary action before the Misconduct Tribunal or by the Queensland Police Service can be taken against the police officer in relation to the cause of death..."

The DPP decision infuriated the Queensland Indigenous community, An early article he wrote gave unretracted allegations that Mulrunji's face looked like it was beaten beyond recognition even though this was later contradicted by medical evidence in the coroner's report (the only visible injury to the face was a small cut above an eye). His article comparing Hurley with the police who killed Steve Biko referred to above was published just weeks after the DPP decision.

Another controversial aspect of the case was the decision to arrest Mulrunji at all. The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody had recommended alternatives to placing Indigenous people in custody when they were drunk and disorderly to help avoid deaths in custody. Approximately a year prior to the arrest Chris Hurley made submissions to the Federal Parliamentary Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs. In his submissions he noted that Palm Island lacked an alcohol diversionary centre and complained "If we attend a job in relation to alcohol where the person has not committed any other offences besides being drunk in public, the only option we have is to take them to the watch-house." Given, the findings of the Royal Commission in the 1980s the Coroner scathingly noted that Hurley should not have arrested Mulrunji. She attributed this arrest to local police not learning from the Commission's findings. (a privately funded private investigator also conducted investigations Chris Hurley currently is working at the Gold Coast Regional Headquarters of the Queensland police.

After his trial Chris Hurley's brother, Tony Hurley lashed out at the media for their coverage which prior to the trial had suggested a racially motivated deliberate killing. He pointed out the stress that has been on his family with another brother suffering a heart attack as a result and advised that his elderly parents had kept their sanity due to prayer and support from family, friends, and well wishers.

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