Attempted Murderer Laughs at Victim in Court

Brisbane woman Rachel Moore says she didn’t expect her former-partner would even have the ‘guts to look at her’ in court, but that if he did, she thought he might show sorrow and regret. Instead, he looked at her and laughed.

Daryl Fields showed no remorse as he pleaded guilty to attempted murder after shooting Ms Moore at her home, in front of their children.

Children come to the rescue

In 2014, Ms Moore’s five children made national headlines after disarming their father to protect their mother.

The three brothers and two sisters were getting ready for bed when their mother heard a car pull up in the driveway, on the evening of April 11.

She knew it was probably her former partner. The couple had separated two years earlier due to Fields’ violence in the home, but their relationship had been fairly amicable thereafter.

On the fateful day, Fields left a series of messages on Moore’s phone throughout the afternoon, causing her to fear for the safety of both herself and her kids.

Upon hearing Fields outside, the mother and five children hid in the bedroom, hoping he would eventually leave.

Instead, Fields entered the home and broke down the bedroom door. He was drunk and brandishing a shotgun. Despite his own kids begging him not to shoot, Fields fired the gun at Moore, hitting her arm and causing her to fall to the ground, unconscious. Fields then began to reload the gun.

In the unfolding chaos, one of the older boys managed to grab the shotgun and run out of the room.

Fields then began dragging Moore and trying to gouge her face and eyes.

The kids raced to their mother’s defence – pushing their father away. One of the boys jumped on his dad, placing him in a chokehold until he passed out. The children then hid their mother and called police. The two youngest hid under a bed until they knew it was safe to come out.

Ambulance officers arrived and rushed Moore to hospital, where she underwent surgery to save her arm.

Attempted murder charge

Fields was then charged with attempted murder. He pleaded guilty and is expected to be sentenced in coming weeks.

Moore says she does not know what made her ex-partner ‘snap’ that night. However, she will forever be grateful to her children who fearlessly leapt to her defence using a series of martial arts techniques they learned from a family friend.

Domestic violence in Australia

Moore and her children have spoken out about domestic violence, which is in epidemic proportions in Australia.

Figures released by the Destroy the Joint’s Counting Dead Women initiative suggest that 54 women have died violently at the hands of men in Australia this year alone. Many of the tragedies were perpetrated by current or former partners, others occurred at the hands a relative or a friend.

And domestic violence does not just affect women – men are increasingly finding themselves victims, often too ashamed to report the incidents to police, or finding their complaints falling on deaf ears.

If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence, contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732).

Image credit: Channel Nine / 60 Minutes