Police boss slammed for using Taylor Swift lyric to defend slow response to double murder
"Not everyone's going to like me" Karen Webb has since said, doubling down on her use of the lyric
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb has been criticised for quoting a Taylor Swift lyric while defending her slow response to the alleged murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies.
Baird, 26, and Davies, 29, went missing on Monday 19 February; Baird’s reported ex-partner, 28-year-old police officer Beaumont Lamarre-Condon, was charged with double murder on Friday 23 February.
Two bodies, believed to be those of Baird and Davies, were found in Bungonia, 120 miles outside of Sydney, Australia yesterday,
“Haters like to hate, isn’t that what Taylor says?” – NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb
Speaking on Seven’s Sunrise programme yesterday [Tuesday 17 February 2024], Webb was asked about her delay in speaking publicly about the double murders and whether she should be criticised for her handling of the case.
Webb replied: “There will always be haters. Haters like to hate. Isn’t that what Taylor [Swift] says?”
The 54-year-old went on: “This, though, of course is a complex matter. All we need to do now is find Jesse and Luke so their families know where they are. That’s my priority.”
“Not everyone’s going to like me”
According to 6 News Australia, Webb has since doubling down on her use of the song lyric.
She is quoted by the outlet as saying: “I’m a human, and that’s a valid statement. Not everyone’s going to like me.”
Webb has also faced called to stand down after referring to the alleged murders as a “crime of passion” during a press conference on Monday [26 February 2024].
She later told Nine’s Today programme: “What I did say was it is a crime and of course [it is] domestic violence, stalking and murder.
“What I was intending is to say that it’s actually not a gay hate crime.”
In a statement issued yesterday, New South Wales Police said: “As part of the ongoing investigations under Strike Force Ashfordby, homicide detectives attended a correctional facility about 11am today (Tuesday 27 February 2024), and spoke to a 28-year-old man.
“Investigators subsequently attended a second property on Jerrara Road, Bungonia, about 1pm this afternoon.
“At the property, human remains were located, and a crime scene was established, which is being forensically examined.
“While the bodies are yet to be formally identified, they are believed to be that of Luke Davies and Jesse Baird. A post-mortem examination will be conducted to confirm the cause of death.”
Lamarre-Condon was in a relationship with Baird until “a couple of months ago,” according to New South Wales Police Detective Superintendent Daniel Doherty.
Doherty also said during a news briefing last week that blood was found at Baird’s home, plus a “projectile” and a fired cartridge case.