‘Just Say Goodbye’ (January 2013 online edition)

‘Just Say Goodbye’Gary BellIn June 2008, in Bega, NSW, Gary Bell 66 (44 years), killed his three children Bon(18 months), Maddie (five years) and Jack (seven years), by drugging them, thenplacing them into a car and filling it with exhaust fumes (causing carbon monoxidepoisoning). He also died in the car.Gary and Karen had been married for 14 years. Gary was seen publicly as a familyman, adoring his children, but privately drank heavily, was very jealous and violent tohis wife (Narushima et al. 2008). Gary had a history of violence against his wife andthere had been three apprehended violence orders (AVOs) against him, includingone in place at the time he killed the children. Karen had left the relationship manytimes. She said she went back because ‘he always kept the kids’. 67Gary had been charged by police for violence against Karen and was releaseda few days before killing the children and himself. After another incident ofviolence, Karen fled the house. In an interview with Sixty Minutes, a friend andneighbour, Tracey, said she went to the property and found the bodies of thechildren and their father. She said that Karen had rung police and asked themto go and check on the children but they wouldn’t. She said she also rang thepolice, who told her they did not want to go and upset Gary. 68Phithak KongsomIn September 2003 in Western Sydney, NSW, Marilyn (four years) and Sebastian(23 months) and the children’s grandfather, Peter, were stabbed to death by theirfather, Phithak Kongsom, who died from stab wounds he inflicted on himself at thescene, after also being shot by police.‘Paula’ met Phithak while travelling in Thailand. 69 They settled in Australia and hadtwo children. They separated in June 2003, after a five-year relationship, becauseof Phithak’s increasingly aggressive behaviour. His violence was the last straw(Poulson 2008). Following the separation, he made threats to harm Paula. Phithakhad access visits with the children and one night when Paula went to collectthe children he put a knife to his own throat. She managed to wrestle the knifefrom him. Paula rang 000 to say she feared he would kill himself in front of theirdaughter and that he had threatened to kill Paula too (Cameron & Ross 2008).66 His name was actually Gary Poxon. He reportedly changed his name to avoid responsibility for another familywith several children that he left before marrying his current wife (Narushima et al. 2008).67 Sixty Minutes 2008.68 Sixty Minutes 200869 A pseudonym has been used – see footnote 62.49