Mayo woman badly injured in gun attack in Australia

A Mayo woman who was shot by her ex-partner had called police five times before the attack.

Castlebar native Eileen Gibbons was shot in the stomach by Ralph Donald at a property in Milner, Darwin, Australia, in October 2023. Donald then took his own life in the front yard of the home.

Ms Gibbons, who was aged 38 at the time of the shocking attack, was rushed to Royal Darwin Hospital with severe abdominal injuries but fortunately survived.

An inquest into the circumstances of Donald’s death and the police response opened last week. The hearing was told that officers were called five times in the six months leading up to the shooting, after reports that Donald was stalking Ms Gibbons, locking her inside his house, and preventing her from leaving.

Ms Gibbons gave evidence at the inquest via video link, stating: “Things were getting out of hand and I was crying out to the police.”

One officer involved in the case in 2023 admitted he did not identify immediate red flags. He told the inquest that because there was no prior history of physical violence, a domestic violence order could not be applied at the time. However, he added that after completing Prevent, Assist, Respond (PARt) training on coercive control, he now recognised the signs and would have acted differently in hindsight.

Ms Gibbons said her former partner had become increasingly controlling and “toxic”, including locking her in the house, but he had never been physically violent before.

The court heard that on the evening of October 3, 2023, Ms Gibbons went to Donald’s home to collect items for their 11-month-old daughter. Donald appeared in the front yard with a rifle and shot her in the stomach before turning the weapon on himself.

“He got approximately two metres from her and said, ‘do you want to die?’ while holding up the firearm,” the inquest was told.

Fearing for her life, Ms Gibbons tried to flee but fell to the ground.

The inquest heard Donald was working as a tyre fitter and was beginning an apprenticeship at the time of his death.

However, Ms Gibbons said the couple were under significant financial stress, with their mortgage having risen three times, and that things “really escalated in the last year” as Donald failed to cope with his alcohol abuse.

The inquest was told that Donald’s brother Charles heard the gunshots and put himself between his brother and Ms Gibbons as she lay wounded.

Charles noticed his brother had started to reload his weapon and fearing for Ms Gibbons, he grabbed her and dragged her out of sight to safety.