Tragic new details emerge about Aussie dad’s life before Bali murder suicide

BALI — Exclusive: An Australian father accused of murdering his two children before taking his own life in Bali has been described by a source close to the family as an “arrogant” man who routinely said unkind things about them to school staff.

On Sunday, police were called to a home in the coastal tourist district of Kuta where they found the bodies of Australian man Damien John Shaw, his six-year-old son Archie and four-year-old daughter Laura.

The children had apparently been strangled by their father – a 56-year-old unemployed maritime worker from Fremantle who had expressed suicidal intentions previously.

“On Friday, Archie complained of a stomach ache and was sent to a medical clinic at Lentera Kasih [an international school in the capital Denpasar],” the source told nine.com.au on condition of anonymity. 

“The father responded immediately and he came to pick him up. This was normal.

"The father did most of the parenting. He brought his son to school every morning, picked them up and even delivered their lunch to school.

“He did the same for his daughter, who went to kindergarten at the Blue Dolphin in Kuta. 

“But at the same time he was very arrogant, talkative and tough on his children.”

Staff at Archie’s school described him as polite and intelligent.

They were shocked at how the boy was described by his father.

“He would tell teachers and staff that Archie was stupid,” the source told nine.com.au.

“Maybe he just wanted to push his children academically but the teachers and staff at the school found it odd.

“They all thought Archie was a very good boy who always did what he was told. 

"If a classroom was dirty, Archie would ask the cleaners to clean it, but he would always say 'please'. In our culture, that's very important.

Read more

‘I love you Daddy’: Frightened girl heard on CCTV before Bali double murder-suicide

“The other children didn’t care or were not mature enough to take action when something was not right.

“But Archie was smarter; he certainly wasn’t stupid. Yet for the father, it was never enough.

“He did the same thing with his daughter at the kindergarten, telling the staff there his daughter was stupid.” 

The Shaw family has been described as highly dysfunctional in local media, with frequent conflict resulting from Shaw’s alleged anxiety, emotional outbursts and quickness to anger. 

Indonesian online news portal Bali Berkarya reported the couple’s relationship suffered from long-standing discord and that they had nearly divorced in 2022.

But legal proceedings were halted after Shaw threatened self-harm. 

According to police, Shaw had attempted to take his own life only a month before last weekend’s tragic event.

But the attempt had been thwarted by his wife, a 32-year-old Indonesian woman.

Denpasar police chief senior commissioner Leonardo Simatupang said police were investigating whether financial losses had been mounting before the murder-suicide.

However, Shaw had never previously shown signs of physical violence towards his children and his mental health was believed to have recently improved.

On September 10, Shaw’s wife left him with their children while she returned to her hometown in Jakarta to visit her parents. 

Nine.com.au’s source in Bali said the couple’s relationship was a source of speculation in the community.

After police examined the crime scene, the bodies were taken to Professor Ngoerah General Hospital in Denpasar.

Preliminary examination by the coroner showed signs of violence around the children’s necks. 

Forensic autopsies were not performed at the wife’s request after police established through CCTV footage that Shaw had murdered his children before taking his own life, according to Professor Ngoerah General Hospital’s public relations department. 

The bodies were buried on Tuesday at an Islamic cemetery at Kampung Jawa, a historic urban village home to the largest Muslim community in Bali.

Earlier this week, the Lentera Kasih international school sent a group message to staff and teachers on the messaging platform WhatsApp asking them not to comment publicly about the Shaw family, adding: “May Archie find happiness in the presence of the Father in Heaven.”

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

Lifeline 13 11 14

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800