A dysfunctional, remote town where a woman was abducted, raped and murdered is crying out for increased police presence after law enforcement abandoned them – having worked out of a tin shed.
Outback nurse Gayle Woodford, 56, was lured to her death by Dudley Davey, 35, in Fregon, South Australia in 2016.
Her husband Keith has joined community leaders in desperately calling for a police station to be built in the town.
Its old police station – a run-down tin shed – has long been abandoned, and sits alongside dilapidated houses in the arid Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (AYP) Lands community 490km southwest of Alice Springs.
Outback nurse Gayle Woodford, 56, was lured to her death by Dudley Davey, 35, in Fregon, South Australia
Her husband Keith has joined community leaders in desperately calling for a police station to be built in the town (Davey pictured surrounded by police)
Fegon’s old police station – a run-down tin shed – has long been abandoned, and sits alongside dilapidated houses in the arid Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (AYP) Lands community 490km southwest of Alice Springs
Ms Woodford’s husband Keith said domestic violence in the area was ‘shocking’, and a police station was needed to buck the trend
The town sits on a dusty plain and is home to about 220 people. The close-knit inhabitants were shaken by Ms Woodford’s rape and murder in March 2016.
Davey – who was on a three-day ice binge when he killed Ms Woodford – is serving a minimum of 32 years in prison after pleading guilty to the vicious attack.
Ms Woodford’s husband Keith said domestic violence in the area was ‘shocking’, and a police station was needed to buck the trend.
Gillian Steel, the manager of a local art centre, told The Australian she was forced to hide in the building after she was attacked by thugs demanding money who threw a steel bar at her.
Her home is surrounded by a security cage, and she said there needs to be more police in Fregon.
‘I generally go to work, go home, lock my door and live behind a cage. The kids are out of control,’ she said.
The town sits on a dusty plain and is home to about 220 people. The close-knit inhabitants were shaken by Ms Woodford’s rape and murder in March 2016
Police officer Tiff Greig poses for a photo with Fregon resident Mrs Norris
Gillian Steel, the manager of a local art centre, told The Australian she was forced to hide in the building after she was attacked by thugs demanding money who threw a steel bar at her
‘There are constant problems. It has only got worse. Gambling is a real problem, which creates a whole range of other issues, and the little kids are doing it as well, so a police presence will help.’
Ms Steel said when she called triple-zero she was connected with police in Port Augusta, almost 1000km away – and it often takes a full day for police to arrive on the scene.
Entry to the APY Lands without a special permit is illegal, and it is a ‘dry’ zone meaning alcohol is banned.
South Australia Premier Steven Marshall visited Fregon last week while protected by two armed elite tactical response group police officers.
He said Fregon’s small population meant it was ‘difficult to have full police coverage’.
Ms Steel’s home is surrounded by a security cage, and she said there needs to be more police in Fregon
Entry to the APY Lands without a special permit is illegal, and it is a ‘dry’ zone meaning alcohol is banned