Former Paralympic athlete Dino Foti left in ‘humiliating and degrading’ conditions in the Adelaide Remand Centre for eight days
A former Paralympian arrested for breaching home detention has not been able to shower or empty his bowels in eight days because of the lack of facilities in jail, a court has heard.
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A former Paralympic athlete who was arrested for allegedly breaching home detention was left in “degrading and humiliating” conditions for eight days because the Adelaide Remand Centre was not able to cope with his disability, a court has heard.
Dino Foti, who has been paraplegic since a car crash when he was 17, was not able to go to the shower or empty his bowels for eight days, leaving him in “agony”, according to his lawyer.
He has been housed in the Adelaide Remand Centre’s infirmary since May 18 which is not equipped to help him shower or go to the toilet.
Foti, who previously went by the surname Priolo, was serving a one year and seven month sentence on home detention for drug offences and possessing a taser.
He had already spent one year, five months and seven days on home detention before he was arrested when police found a fluid they believed to be drugs in a bin near his house.
He was charged with drug trafficking though the court heard that was likely to be contested.
Stacey Carter, for Foti, said police had yet to confirm whether the substance, which was in a water bottle, was an illicit drug.
In a hearing before the District Court on Wednesday, Ms Carter said Foti could be released on home detention to live with his family, rather than being kept in conditions which could be hazardous to his health.
A letter prepared by a doctor and submitted to the court showed that the Remand Centre was unable to cope with wheelchair bound prisoners.
“In the nine days he has been in custody he has not been able to release his bowls,” Ms Carter said.
“He has been in agony, having hot sweats and the like. He is barely capable to keep his eyes open and I would bot be surprised if he ended up in hospital in the next 24 hours.
“Prison is designed to punish, it is not meant to be this cruel.”
In an earlier hearing Ms Carter described Foti’s position in the Remand Centre as “humiliating and degrading” as he avoided all but one or two meals to reduce the pain of the constipation.
District Court Judge Paul Slattery said the process of moving Foti to the Yatala high dependency ward had moved too slowly.
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He agreed to release Foti back onto home detention bail, citing the “very peculiar circumstance” of his time in the Remand Centre.
However, he said it had not been for those circumstances he would not have approved the bail application.
“He has a tremendous (criminal) history, it is there for all to see,” Judge Slattery said.
“He is the author of that history.
“He is very lucky to have his family here supporting him, more lucky than he perhaps deserves to be.”
Foti was released on strict conditions, including his family providing a $25,000 cash surety to ensure he does not reoffend.
Foti represented Australia n the inaugural 1994 World Paralympic Championships in Germany, but later developed an expensive and damaging methamphetamine addiction.
A Department of Corrections spokeswoman said Foti had been cleared to be transferred to the Yatala’s high dependency unit and had received 24-hour care in the Remand Centre.