Identity of prisoner who died at Woodford jail revealed

The identity of a prisoner who died at Woodford jail earlier today – the second death at the prison in 24 hours – has been revealed as a man who was the youngest person jailed indefinitely in Queensland after the shocking random stabbing of a teacher in Brisbane.

THE prisoner who took his own life at Woodford prison early today was Sean Stephen Hatten, a violent psychopath jailed indefinitely after randomly stabbing a teacher 13 times with a penknife, The Courier-Mail has been told.

Hatten became the youngest person detained indefinitely in Queensland in 2005 when aged just 22.

Woodford jail rocked by second death in just 12 hours

Investigation after prisoner’s body found in laundry at Woodford jail

He pleaded guilty to the 2003 attempted murder of Louise Hendriksen, 44, at the Seven Hills Reserve in Brisbane’s south. Her stab wounds were 10cm deep.

Hatten also had a criminal history as a child, including raping a 12-year-old when he was aged just 16 in 1999.

Woodford Prison, back to normal after two prisoners held an overnight protest over the lack of drug rehabilitation programs in Queensland prisons. Photo Lachie Millard

He forced the child off her bike as she was riding through a park and forced her into bushes where he raped her using a condom, according to court files and judgments.

A month after he was bailed for the rape he assaulted two 16-year-old girls in separate incidents and grabbed them and demanded money.

A psychologist in 1999 found Hatten had a full-scale IQ within the borderline range with his overall abilities ranking below the second percentile, according to a court judgment.

After he was arrested and charged with attempted murder he told doctors that when he was a child he smoked between 50 and 80 cones of marijuana a day.

Hatten scored 28 on the Hare Psychopathy Checklist which a psychiatrist in 2005 said was “indicative” of a “high level of psychopathy” which was untreatable.

Louise Hendriksen was stabbed at Seven Hills in 2003.

The Court of Appeal sent the case back to the Supreme Court in 2007 but Hatten was resentenced again with an indefinite term for the stabbing in 2008. He told a psychologist in 2008 that after the attempted murder he went to another bushland area to try to find someone else to stab, waiting for 30 minutes before going to his father’s house. He said he was expelled from school in Year 8.

In Capricornia jail near Rockhampton, Hatten slashed another prisoner’s throat with a razor in 2011.

He told prison officers he did it because he was having a “dip”, later explaining that meant he was having a bad day. He received a 13-year jail sentence.

Hatten had his indefinite term renewed in 2019 with Justice Peter Applegarth finding he was a serious danger to the community.

The court heard he had created a hit list of people he intended to kill.