Key facts
- An inquest found racism hindered the police investigation into the 1988 death of Mark Haines.
- Mark Haines was an Indigenous teenager from the Gomeroi nation.
- Haines' body was discovered on train tracks near Tamworth, NSW.
- Police initially ruled Mark Haines' death a suicide.
- Mark Haines' family suspected foul play in his death.
- A teenager won a race discrimination claim against the Metropolitan Police.
- The teenager was wrongly arrested for attempted murder.
- A jury found the Met treated the Black teenager less favorably than a non-Black boy.
- The jury's finding led to the teenager's arrest and prolonged detention.
An inquest has determined that racism deeply flawed and hindered the initial police investigation into the 1988 death of Indigenous teenager Mark Haines. The Gomeroi teenager's body was found on train tracks near Tamworth, NSW. Police at the time ruled the death a suicide, but Haines' family has long suspected foul play. The inquest's findings highlight systemic issues that impacted the investigation's integrity.
In a separate case, a teenager has successfully won a race discrimination claim against the Metropolitan Police. The Black teenager was wrongly arrested for attempted murder. A jury concluded that the Metropolitan Police treated the teenager less favorably than a non-Black boy would have been treated, which directly led to his arrest and subsequent prolonged detention. This ruling underscores concerns about racial bias within law enforcement practices.