The family of a British toddler found dead in Australia more than a decade ago has condemned the original police investigation as a new inquest opens into the case. The UK's Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has confirmed it will examine the actions of British officers who liaised with Australian authorities.
The child, two-year-old Lexi Johnson, was discovered unconscious at a property in Perth, Western Australia, in 2012. She died in hospital two days later. Australian police initially treated the death as non-suspicious and no charges were brought. However, the family has long maintained that the investigation was flawed and that evidence pointing to foul play was overlooked.
At a press conference in Perth this morning, the child's grandmother, Margaret Johnson, accused Western Australian police of incompetence and cover-up. "They failed Lexi from the moment they arrived. They did not secure the scene, they ignored witness statements, and they accepted a ridiculous explanation for her injuries," she said.
The family's legal team has presented new medical evidence suggesting the injuries were inconsistent with the original explanation of a fall. The new inquest, ordered by the Western Australian coroner, will hear from 40 witnesses over six weeks. The UK IOPC announced it would investigate the role of officers from the Metropolitan Police who provided assistance during the initial investigation under mutual legal assistance arrangements.
The case has strained diplomatic relations between the UK and Australia. A spokesperson for the Australian Federal Police said they would cooperate fully with the IOPC, but stressed that the original investigation was conducted by state authorities. Western Australian Police Commissioner Chris Dawson declined to comment while the inquest is ongoing, but sources within the force have expressed concern that the case is being used to attack the reputation of Australian law enforcement.
The IOPC's involvement is unusual. It typically investigates serious incidents involving police in England and Wales. Its decision to review actions in a foreign jurisdiction reflects the case's high profile and the family's persistent lobbying of British politicians. Labour MP Harriet Harman has taken up the family's cause, calling the original investigation "a disgrace" in a parliamentary question.
The inquest is expected to examine key evidence including the child's medical records, mobile phone data from the night she died, and the conduct of the first responders. The family has also called for the person who called emergency services to be identified and questioned, claiming that the call was made 45 minutes after the child was found and that the delay was not adequately probed.
Lexi Johnson's mother, Sarah Johnson, who was 19 at the time, has refused to speak publicly but has provided a written statement to the inquest, which will be read out this week. The child's father, David Johnson, died in a car accident in 2019.
The case has drawn comparisons to other British child death investigations overseas that resulted in later convictions, such as the case of Ben Needham on the Greek island of Kos. Legal analysts say the IOPC's intervention could set a precedent for future cases where British police assist foreign counterparts.
The inquest continues.
