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Guest Character Profiles > Michaela Morris Jacqueline Brennan

Detective Sergeant Michaela Morris 2008, 2009
Occupation: Police Detective Sergeant

When the secret relationship between 16-year-old Rachel Kinski and her English teacher Angus Henderson became public knowledge, charges were laid against Angus and he and Rachel underwent police questioning. Rachel was interviewed by Detective Sergeant Michaela Morris, who asked her details about how she and Angus met, whether he had forced her into anything and whether she willingly went to his apartment. When Rachel refused to talk, DS Morris pointed out to her that by clamming up, she was only making things worse for Angus, as her evidence was needed to ascertain whether he was telling the truth. Tired of the questioning, Rachel finally snapped and announced, in front of her shocked step-parents Susan and Karl, that she had been the one who had pursued Angus and forced him to continue seeing her.

Some weeks later, a bitter custody dispute was brewing between Oliver Barnes and Carmella Cammeniti over their daughter, Chloe. When Oliver found out, during Chloe's Christening, that Carmella's boyfriend Marco was infertile, he started taunting him about only dating a pregnant woman to get his hands on her child. Marco snapped and swung for him, and a fight broke out, which Oliver decided to use against Carmella in the custody battle, and Marco was arrested by DS Morris and charged with assault.

Soon after, with Angus' trial approaching, DS Morris visited Rachel to ask whether she'd filled in her victim impact statement yet. Rachel then surprised everyone by announcing that she didn't plan to fill one in, as she had not been a victim and had entered willingly into the relationship. Days later, DS Morris was back in Ramsay Street, this time to take Riley Parker in for questioning over an alleged assault. Riley had lost his temper with John Carter, a man Riley had known when he was younger, who, all those years ago, had caused a fight which got Riley and his little sister Bridget transferred to a different foster home, just as they were settling in. Already knowing Riley from his work on the local newspaper, DS Morris asked him if the allegations were true as there were clearly two sides to the story, but Riley insisted on taking the blame, asking only that his adoptive parents, Steve and Miranda were not informed. Unfortunately, as DS Morris opened the door to leave, Riley spotted Steve and Miranda sitting outside, looking worried.

Several weeks later, DS Morris was on the case when a mysterious bushfire broke out in the national park, leaving Kirsten Gannon seriously injured, and Marco Silvani dead. With several rumours circulating about who had started the fire, DS Morris held a press conference outside the station, explaining that they were following several lines of enquiry and asking the journalists to back off for the time being. Donna Freedman, a loner who'd followed musician Ty Harper to the park on the day of the fire, was then questioned and claimed to know who started the fire, before admitting that she was making it up. Also acting mysteriously on the day of the fire was Paul Robinson, who had spotted Kirsten's lifeless body on the ground and driven away. His strange behaviour, fuelled by guilt, then led his daughter Elle to believe that he was arsonist, and she contacted the police, with DS Morris arresting Paul in the bar later that day.

The following year, a bag of money was found by Declan Napier at the local community gardens and, after being moved around for several days by Callum Jones and Mickey Gannon, it was finally reported to the police. DS Morris took statements from everyone involved and told them that, if the money wasn't claimed within three months, Declan would have the right to keep it, as he found it originally. Later that week, DS Morris was contacted when Cass Freedman reported her own daughter for stalking her, after finding magazines with letters cut out, used to make blackmail notes. However, Donna's guardian Elle, feeling responsible for Donna's actions, decided to take the blame and was taken away for questioning.

A few weeks later, DS Morris was arresting Paul again, following the mysterious death of his half-sister, Jill Ramsay. She interviewed him about his involvement in Jill's final moments, as they argued over her rightful inheritance and later, she was found seriously injured in the road and died in hospital. Though Elle then managed to find the person who had run down Jill, this unfortunately did not prove Paul's innnocence, as the man claimed that Paul had pushed Jill into the road. Paul was again taken in for questioning and held in custody, though he received bail.

Soon after, a fire broke out at Paul's home, and, having been seen running away from the house earlier that day, Jill's eldest daughter Kate was immediately suspected. During a 'friendly chat' with Kate, lawyer Toadie turned up and warned DS Morris that she couldn't officially interrogate Kate without DHS permission and an adult present. Morris backed off and later that day the matter was dropped when Kate revealed that she stole some apples from the Robinson back garden, and the fire department discovered that a scarf draped over a lamp had caused the whole accident. Meanwhile, Paul returned, having learnt that the Ramsay kids' father was dead. But as DS Morris arrived to arrest him, the youngest Ramsay daughter, Sophie ran up and hugged Paul, thanking him for trying to save her mum. It emerged that she had witnessed the entire incident, and Paul had tried to grab Jill to save her, before calling an ambulance. Having taken Sophie's statement, DS Morris begrudgingly told Paul that, apart from fines for skipping bail, they would not be pursuing the matter further.

Episodes Featured
5381, 5414, 5428, 5432, 5489, 5490, 5667, 5670, 5692, 5693, 5704, 5709

Biography by Steve

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