The woman who died after being discovered with burns all over her body in the stairwell of a residential block has been photographed for the first time.
Kristy Banister, 44, was found by paramedics at the unit complex on Vicliffe Avenue in Campsie, in Sydney’s west, just after 3pm on Monday.
She was rushed to Concord Hospital but died hours later, around 9:30 p.m.
A resident, who asked to remain anonymous, told Daily Mail Australia he heard a scream at 2.30pm before Ms Banister was discovered on fire.
He understands the 44-year-old cut herself before covering herself in petrol.
‘I saw her when they took her to the ambulance. She was as black as that car,” he said, pointing to a Ute on the street.
‘They worked on her here for two hours. How can anyone do that? Pouring gasoline on oneself? You must be out of your mind.’
The man said everyone in the 18-unit complex had complained about her during the more than five years she lived on the block.
Kristy Banister, 44, was found by paramedics at the unit complex on Vicliffe Avenue in Campsie just after 3pm on Monday (she is pictured)
The complaints included her abusing other residents, her drug use and her two illegal tenants being disrespectful when using the common areas.
‘She lived here for over five years. There have been complaints about her all the time. But public housing has delivered nothing,” he said.
The man said he called the public housing agency twice earlier this month, but was told to call back in December.
“Public housing is meant to take care of people,” he said.
‘It has to be taken into account. I don’t like seeing anyone get hurt. If they had done something, this might not have happened.”
The man said Ms Banister’s illegal tenants were not home when she set herself on fire on Monday afternoon.
‘I saw him and his girlfriend leaving on their motorcycles around seven in the morning. They haven’t come back since then,” he said.
He added that syringes had recently been discovered near the building.
“A few weeks ago there were kids playing in the parking lot. They picked up some things from the ground, went to their father and said, “What are these?”
‘It was a few syringes.
“We’re disgusted that we complained about it a month ago.”
No one else was injured in what police are treating as a self-harm incident.
A crime scene has been established in the Campsie unit block and officers have begun an investigation into the incident.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.