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A domestic violence order was in place against Johnston when he committed the murder.
At the time, he was out on bail facing allegations of sexually assaulting Wilkinson.
Sarah Lane, the counsel assisting the inquest, mentioned that the investigation aims to assess whether the police followed their established procedures and policies.
According to Lane, Johnston first reached out to the authorities because he expected Wilkinson to make a rape accusation against him.
Newton noted, “He was worried about the children’s safety.”
Wilkinson was designated as a “high-risk aggrieved” person, while the Gold Coast Domestic Violence Prevention Centre urged police to produce a “high-risk response” to her being in danger.
“(Police) put a high-risk flag on her name and residence,” Newton said.
Wilkinson contacted police on April 1 to report Johnston had breached a protection order after he got a third-party to contact her about returning his property and getting access to the children.
Officers were tasked with responding to Wilkinson’s complaint as a “lower priority” job.
There was no indication her complaint should have been treated as urgent, but the officers making the decision would not be aware of her “high risk” of domestic violence, Detective Inspector Newton said.
The coroner responded: “You are going to have to explain that to me.”
Wilkinson was later accused of “cop shopping” by police, who did not act on her complaints days before her badly burnt body was found outside her home.
The officer who made the comment was later the subject of a disciplinary interview, Detective Inspector Newton said.
“The words to us were not appropriate to be used for a domestic violence situation,” she said.
No officer received disciplinary action as a result of the case but two were given remedial training, Detective Inspector Newton added.
Wilkinson’s body was found outside her home and her killer was found nearby after he collapsed and suffered burns in the fire.
Support is available by calling 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.