DOCS had deserted murdered children of Pericoe
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By Gemma Jones
June 28, 2008 12:00am
THE desperate plight of three children found murdered yesterday by their violent father was known to the Department of Community Services which gave up on them.
Just days earlier, the children's father Gary Bell, 44 was released by police on bail after bashing his wife, with the officers notifying the beleaguered department about Jack, 7, Maddie, 5 and Bon, aged just 18 months.
Last night, hours after their tiny bodies and their dead father were found in a car at the family's home at Pericoe on the Far South Coast, DOCS admitted it failed to reach the family and offered the excuse that staff had tried.
The children's shattered mother Karen was being comforted by her mother in Bega last night where it is believed she had been staying since leaving her husband.
It is understood Bell was released on bail by police on Sunday because he had just one prior charge of assault in 2005.
But neighbours and those close to the couple described the horrific abuse suffered by his wife over several years with her injuries including black eyes, grab marks on her arms and bruises to her body.
"My neighbour phoned up last Saturday, there was a disturbance, there was a lot of screaming and yelling while she was on the phone to the house, she was being assaulted," neighbour Tony Boller said.
Mr Boller, who lives on the site of the former commune named Two Creeks, where the Bells lived, west of Eden said Karen had fled the property after the weekend assault.
Other neighbours said police were hunting in bushland on the property at 3am on Sunday for Bell.
"She left, I just don't think he was coping with looking after the kids," Mr Boller said.
It is believed they were murdered in a large 4WD which had piping connecting it to a generator. Police made the horrific discovery at 11.15am yesterday and it was unclear how long the four had been dead.
"He was charged with assault and released, he demanded the children, he must have picked them up from there when he left the police station," a friend who declined to be named said.
"It has been bad, somehow he convinces her, he was a very good liar.
"He had been caught before kicking her into the ground.
"He should never have been released (this week), it is not the first time this has happened.
"I wanted to ring up DOCS, you don't know how much I regret that I haven't. They were beautiful, sweet little kids."
DOCS were notified this week but in a statement last night the department attempted to defend itself with claims it was unable to reach the family.
"In recent days, DOCS was informed that police had taken out an Apprehended Violence Order against the children's father," the statement said.
"DOCS staff subsequently made a number of attempts to contact the family to provide support but was unable to reach them."
Jack and Maddie had been enrolled in a school at nearby Towamba but the family friend said they had been removed from the school in the past year to be home schooled. Just two weeks ago their father had invited some friends to the home for a birthday party for one of them.
Locals in the 200-strong community of Pericoe and Towamba were last night shattered by the deaths of the children.
Their mother was too distraught to speak about her loss.
Bell had been with his wife for almost two decades, according to relatives.
He was due to appear in court on July 15 on the domestic violence charge.
Detectives were last night scouring the family's property while police said the children's mother had also been offered counselling.
The family had lived at Two Creeks, which has attracted people wanting an alternative lifestyle since the 1970s, for about five years.
Police said yesterday they would prepare a report for the coroner and they confirmed they were not looking for any suspects in the deaths, indicating they were treating it as a murder-suicide.
A large section of Pericoe was roped off as police continued working last night.
"Silence is the language of complicity.....Speaking out is the language of change"