Adelaide mum says police ignored her as mentally ill husband stabbed their son to death
A grieving mother whose son was stabbed to death by her husband has lodged a formal complaint against South Australian police, claiming she was ignored when she desperately needed help.
Julia Trinne ran to a Norwood police station when she realised her mentally ill husband had taken the couple's four-year-old son Luca, but says she was forced to wait outside until 8am despite banging on the doors for half an hour.
"I could see people in the station but they would not open the doors because it was not opening time," Ms Trinne told NewsCorp.
"I understand protocols but when it is obvious something major is wrong you would think surely they would be able to realise this and act."
In her formal complaint, Ms Trinne says officers were more concerned with why she did not know her husband's registration number on his vehicle and said they "lacked empathy" when dealing with her.
Father who stabbed son to death not guilty of murder
Ms Trinne's then-husband David Janzow suffers from bipolar disorder, and he had slipped into a psychosis when he stabbed Luca to death on July 8, 2014.
The 38-year-old was arrested after he approached officers attending an unrelated crash scene while still covered in his son's blood.
In 2015, a Supreme Court found Janzow not guilty of murder due to mental incompetence, and he remains in a secure psychiatric facility.
Ms Trinne says she has lodged the complaint in the hope officers will be correctly trained to deal with urgent circumstances, and understand to show empathy when those situations arise.
“I had tears streaming down my face, and at one point even crouched down in the corner of the station," she told NewsCorp.
In an interview which aired earlier this year, Ms Trinne said her ex-husband was "not in his right mind" and she no longer blames him for Luca's death.
"There was no warning. There was not a suggestion that any of us were in danger," she said.
South Australian Police are yet to comment on the formal complaint.
