My friend Samantha Fraser was murdered by her estranged husband Adrian Basham. A simple device meant she might still be alive today

A woman murdered by her estranged husband might have survived if she had one simple device, her best friend claims.

Turned killer Adrian Basham, 46, murdered Samantha Fraser at her home in Phillip Island, Victoria in 2018, before staging the scene to look like a suicide.

Friend Lija Matthews said Ms Fraser feared for her safety and had two phones but could not call police on the day she was ambushed and killed by Basham.

Ms Matthews said Ms Fraser might still be alive today if she had a duress alarm.

“I think if she had had one and pressed the button, emergency services could have reached her quicker and things could have turned out differently,” she told police. Herald Sun.

Her friend Lija Matthews said Ms Fraser could be alive today if she were given a duress alarm (pictured)

‘I knew the fear she felt. She was afraid of being alone, constantly looking over her back and afraid she would be attacked.’

The Change for the Sam organizationwhich was set up by Ms Fraser’s friends after the murder, provides women who have escaped from abusive relationships with duress alarms known as safety pendants.

At the time of her death, Ms Fraser had finally escaped Basham’s violent clutches and was due to testify against him after he was accused of repeatedly raping her in 2014 and 2016.

Ms Fraser told friends before her death that she “felt stronger and was looking forward to a new life”.

Police alleged Basham lay in wait for two hours while Mrs Fraser dropped their children off at school before sneaking into the garage on their return.

She was found dead in the garage on July 23, 2018 – the day after her 38th birthday.

The alarm was raised when she did not pick up her children from school.

The many recent cases of murders of women, such as the stabbing at Sydney’s Bondi Junction shopping centre, have refocused attention on duress alarms which an inquest by Victoria’s coroner John Cain found could save women’s lives.

Last week, Coroner Cain called on the Victorian Government to change the way it deals with women in the high-risk period, immediately after they have survived an act of violence or sought protection.

The judge said Family Safety Victoria should expand victims’ access to devices such as personal duress alarms so they can immediately alert police when their lives are threatened.

Ms Matthews, who runs the organization Change for Sam, said it is ‘about saving lives’.

She said violence against women has been “a national crisis for a long time” and coercive alerts make this possible women should ‘feel safer in their own home, knowing that someone is listening at the touch of a button’.

The devices, issued by the Salvation Army and Safe Steps – Victoria’s 24-hour crisis response service – provide direct connectivity to a security company that records audio and GPS coordinates and contacts emergency services.

Evidence collected by the devices can also be used in criminal proceedings.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan claimed her state is ahead of all other Australian states and territories in tackling domestic violence, but more needs to be done.

Lija Matthews (right) was best friends with Samantha Fraser (left), who feared for her safety but couldn’t call the police the day she was murdered by her estranged husband

“This is a national crisis and needs a national response,” she said.

‘This week’s National Cabinet is an opportunity for us to share what we have learned from the Royal Commission with our state and federal colleagues, but more importantly to work together on the next steps to tackle men’s violence.’

Duress alarms are also offered by Safe Steps, the state’s 24-hour crisis response service, which provides protective housing for victims escaping domestic violence.

1800 Respect the national helpline: 1800 737 732

Safe steps: 1800 015 188