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Ron Buckland: Coroner’s inquest reveals how killer died before he could be tried for Radina Djukich’s death

The convicted murderer accused of killing a Perth teenager repeatedly declined treatment for chronic health problems in the final weeks of his life as he refused to shed any light on what happened to Radina Djukich. Ronald Buckland died aged 70 in a Perth hospital in July 2020, just several months before he was due to stand trial in the Supreme Court for the 14-year-old’s 1992 manslaughter. He had pleaded not guilty to the charge. Buckland, who’d been suffering from stomach cancer, was only charged over Radina’s death in 2019, almost 27 years after she vanished from his North Beach unit on Alvis Street in May 1992. Prosecutors — who had tried to bring Buckland’s trial date forward — were set to allege he injected Radina with a substance that caused her death before burying her in bushland. Her body has never been located. It’s understood police had still been speaking to Buckland about the teenager’s death right up until he died in an effort to glean more information from him and find Radina’s body. After he died, The West Australian sensationally revealed how Buckland had previously told a private investigator that he would reveal the location of Radina’s body in exchange for a photograph of his son, who was in England at the time. Last week a brief coroner’s inquest was held to examine the circumstances of Buckland’s death. The inquest was mandatory as Buckland was a prisoner when he died. Buckland had spent much of his adult life in jail, having already been convicted of murdering a Perth teenager called Victoria Robinson. He killed Ms Robinson, 18, who was Buckland’s de facto partner and the mother to his 3½-week-old son, in 1993. Her body was dumped in Yanchep. In 1995 Buckland was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years for the murder. His own death came as a bitter blow for Radina’s family and the cold case investigators who finally brought charges against him because it meant he could never stand trial for her killing or answer questions about Radina in the witness box. The inquest, while only hearing from two Department of Justice witnesses, was told how Buckland smoked cigarettes regularly in jail despite having serious health issues. The inquest was also told he refused various forms of medical treatment for these health problems. “His medical history included ischemic heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,” counsel assisting the coroner Sergeant Alan Becker told the court. “Records show that Mr Buckland was seen regularly by prison medical staff for a variety of health issues and was transferred to hospital when required. “However, he regularly declined medical appointments and treatment and despite advice to the contrary, he continued to smoke cigarettes.” In March 2018, Buckland underwent bypass surgery after having a heart attack and the following year he had stents inserted into a coronary artery after a second heart attack. Two years later he was diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer and he received radiotherapy. But the treatment was stopped because of side effects and he declined chemotherapy. In May 2020, he was transferred to Bethesda Hospice for palliative care. The convicted murderer had previously indicated he did not want to be resuscitated, the inquest heard, and at his request he was taken back to Casuarina Prison in June, 2020. On July 8, 2020 he complained of abdominal pain and he was taken to Fiona Stanley Hospital by ambulance. He died the following day. A forensic pathologist concluded Buckland had bronchopneumonia when he died. The main focus of the inquest was whether Buckland’s medical care was appropriate around the time of his death. The coroner is expected to hand down formal findings into the case later this year. Buckland’s lawyer at the time of his death was Patti Chong. Ms Chong told The West Australian this week how she was the only person present at his funeral. She said police charged her client over Radina’s death just as he was on the verge of being freed from prison over Ms Robinson’s murder. “Mr Buckland was critical of the timing of the charge of manslaughter being laid against him but he was philosophical about it. He maintained his plea of not guilty until his death,” the respected lawyer said. “He was looking forward to being vindicated at trial.” Mick Buckley, a former WA Police senior detective turned private investigator, recounted the extraordinary Silence of the Lambs-style encounters he had with Buckland two decades ago in a WA jail to The West Australian soon after the killer died. During one meeting Buckland told Mr Buckley he would pinpoint the location of Radina’s body if he gave him a photograph of his son who was taken to England after Ms Robinson’s murder. “He said, ‘If you can get a photo of my son I will tell you where the body of Radina Djukich is’,” Mr Buckley said at the time. “I thought that was a pretty good deal. “As it turned out we flew out to England and took a photo of the kid as he was walking back from school. “I came back to Australia and told Buckland we had a photo.” In a subsequent prison visit Mr Buckley said Buckland mentioned the suburb of Yanchep to him, but he didn’t give a precise location. This information was passed on to investigators at the time. “But when the coppers came to pick him up to take him to Yanchep to show them where the body was he changed his mind,” Mr Buckley said. “He was not ready to do it, he didn’t want to go. “I never gave him the photo because he never told me exactly where the body was.” Mr Buckley gave cold case detectives a detailed statement about his dealings with Buckland several months before the killer was charged with Radina’s manslaughter. Police carried out several renewed searches in Yanchep and North Beach for the 14-year-old in 2020 but found nothing. Buckland had always denied involvement in Radina’s death, even though a 2001 coroner’s inquest into her disappearance ruled he was either involved in her death or the disposal of her body. “It is difficult to accept that Mr Buckland knows nothing of her disappearance and death,” then-State coroner Alastair Hope concluded in his report, adding: “I am satisfied that Mr Buckland must have been involved in the death of Radina or the disposal of her body.” Radina would have turned 45-years-old last week.

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Ron Buckland: Coroner’s inquest reveals how killer died before he could be tried for Radina Djukich’s death

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The West Australian exclusiveRon Buckland: Coroner’s inquest reveals how killer died before he could be tried for Radina Djukich’s death

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Ron Buckland: Coroner’s inquest reveals how killer died before he could be tried for Radina Djukich’s death