Inquest to hear man stabbed himself before he was Tasered twice

Ms Lio-Willie said he had threatened her with abusive messages, including one that said she was “now toast”, before sending her messages hours later professing his love for her.

A protection order was applied on March 29 but he never received it despite police trying to deliver the notice twice.

Ms Lio-Willie said the woman phoned triple zero about 11pm on March 30 to report Mr Horne being in her yard and two police crews and a dog squad officer, Senior Constable Jeffrey Wagstaff, attended.

“Senior Constable Wagstaff repeatedly directed Mr Horne to get on the ground. Mr Horne did not comply,” she said.

“He stepped forward with both hands against his chest and fell forward face-down to the ground. He then rose to his knees.

“At which point, it was realised Mr Horne had stabbed himself in the chest.”

Ms Lio-Willie said Senior Constable Wagstaff directed him twice to discard the knife before discharging his Taser towards his back.

She said Mr Horne fell and rolled on to his side by the time two other officers, including Constable Lauren Maloy, arrived.

Ms Lio-Willie said the officers directed Mr Horne to discard the knife but Mr Horne held the handle to his chest.

She said Mr Horne was Tasered a second time, landed on his back and stopped moving.

“Constable Maloy grabbed the handle of the knife and pulled it out and threw it away and then handcuffed Mr Horne,” she said.

Paramedics found Mr Horne unresponsive before he went into cardiac arrest at the scene.

He was rushed to the Toowoomba Base Hospital, where he died at 12.17am.

An autopsy showed Mr Horne died from the stab wound and had two punctures in his arm and chest from the Taser barbs.

There was no evidence the Taser contributed to his death, the court was told.

A Queensland Police Service ethical standards command investigation found the police officers’ actions were lawful and justifiable.

A recommendation was made to improve the focus of police training with the use of body-worn video and torches.

Ms Lio-Willie said the inquest would question whether the actions of police were appropriate, if police training was adequate in regards to penetrating trauma and night or unlit scenarios.

The inquest will begin in Toowoomba on March 8.