One question remains after inquest into death of William Grimes

The night a man suffered fatal burns when tasered came under scrutiny during an inquest in Hervey Bay. But after a full examination, one question still remains. WARNING: Graphic content

Maryborough man William George Grimes died after being seriously burned.

“You were my light but I failed and I am sorry”.

That was the heartbreaking note William George Grimes gave to his sister the night he walked into a Granville park with a jerry can of fuel in one hand and a lighter in the other.

He would never come home.

Late last year, an inquest investigated the circumstances of his death on the night of March 3, 2020.

This month, Coroner Terry Ryan handed down his findings in a court in Hervey Bay.

The inquest would answer some of his family’s questions.

But it is now clear some questions will never be answered.

Four officers followed Mr Grimes that night as he walked through the park and into Granville State School.

He had sent a series of concerning text messages to his family, including: “It’s too late, I’ve been upset for too long I’m not scared anymore”, and “I have petrol and a lighter so tell everyone to stay away this time I have to go and you all need to understand”.

The officers attempted to build a rapport with Mr Grimes, who had schizophrenia and had repeated previous suicide attempts.

Young Constable Lars Gartrell took the lead in speaking to the distressed man that night.

William George Grimes died on March 10, 2020, aged 31, a week after he suffered burns resulting from the incident at the school.

In body-cam footage worn by the officers, Constable Gartrell tried to give reassurance to Mr Grimes, encouraging him to put the jerry can down and talk to him.

Mr Grimes became agitated when he was repeatedly called “Dave” by Constable Gartrell due to a miscommunication, at one point asking “who the f---’s Dave?”

Constable Gartrell was then told the man’s name was William by another officer.

After containing Mr Grimes on the grounds of the school, there was a brief dialogue with police, in particular Constable Gartrell, but then he placed petrol on the ground around him, creating a barrier.

About three minutes later, Mr Grimes had stopped talking to the officers and appeared to be talking to himself.

He then doused the front of his body with petrol for about 12 seconds, then moved his left hand, which was holding the lighter, towards his body.

Constable Gartrell then discharged his taser in an attempt to prevent Mr Grimes from completing the act.

Mr Grimes was engulfed with flames, with all four officers racing to him, rolling him and kicking dirt on him to extinguish the flames as quickly as possible.

Paramedics were called to the scene.

‘Am I going to die?’

As the paramedics worked to save Mr Grimes’ life, he asked one heartbreaking question: “Am I going to die?”

Queensland Ambulance Service paramedic Kellie Bliesner told the inquest of being tasked to the scene after being advised the patient was on fire.

She said upon seeing Mr Grimes, she noticed he had suffered severe burns to the majority of his body.

Ms Bliesner said she started applying water to his burns and saw one of the taser barbs on his body.

Mr Grimes had a high level of consciousness, the court heard and was alert and talking, telling paramedics he had consumed alcohol earlier in the evening.

He was placed on a stretcher and taken to meet a critical care paramedic, the inquest heard.

Also testifying was paramedic Jenine Edge.

She described being told by police to be careful of taser barbs as she assisted Mr Grimes.

Ms Edge recalled Mr Grimes talking as he was treated, saying he had “done something stupid” and he was afraid he would die.

She said he’d asked, “am I going to die?”.

Mr Grimes was flown to hospital in Brisbane, but died a week later after being placed in an induced coma.

After the inquest into the death of William George Grimes, his brother David says there’s still questions that remain and answers may never be possible.

Impossible to determine cause

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Inspector Daren Mallouk told the inquest the lighter and the taser were both possible ignition sources for the fire.

He said he watched the footage “frame by frame” but could not say which was the more likely source.

Forensic scientist Sergeant Mandy Watene offered a similar opinion, telling the inquest it was not possible to see from the footage whether the taser or the lighter was more likely to have caused the flames.

Family shares its grief

In the aftermath of the inquest, Mr Grimes’ brother David, who had called the police that night, said his family were “emotionally and mentally drained”.

“This week has been one of the hardest to get through,” he said, addressing the inquest.

“I’m still confused on a few things, a bit angry and I miss him more.”

When asked if the inquest provided answers, he said “yes and no”.

During his time on the stand, Constable Gartrell, who was described as “forthcoming and reliable”, said he acted to save Mr Grimes’ life.

David’s emotional statement was read to the inquest on its final day, an endeavour that was aimed at giving insight not into how Mr Grimes had died, but how he had lived and how much he meant to his family.

Mr Grimes had struggled with his mental health for years before that night and had attempted suicide before.

After being left homeless after the end of his relationship, Mr Grimes had been living in Granville with his parents.

William Grimes with his brother David in their younger years.

In his statement, David said that in his final days, his brother had felt he was a burden to those around him.

“He died a man tortured by the feeling he had failed his family,” David said.

“He could not have been more wrong.

“We all love him and will never forget him.”

His two children, Donte Grimes, 13, and Tarnia-Leigh Pratt, 11, also shared their memories of their beloved father.

Donte told the inquest that in the years since his father’s death he struggled to cope with the pain and feelings of loss.

In particular, the knowledge of what he would miss out on experiencing with his father had caused distress, from milestones such as his first day at high school, to seeing his face and spending time together.

“Life without dad is hard to deal with,” he said.

Tarnia-Leigh’s statement was read to the court.

In it she remembered the moments they had spent together, whether it was visiting her father at his workplace, arguing with her brother about who got to sit next to their dad in the car, having a frozen coke together or going for a walk.

She also spoke of when she had been picked on at school for no longer having a father and the pain of seeing other dads at their children’s events.

“If he was alive, I know he would be there,” her statement read.

The statement also revealed she regularly visited her dad’s grave.

“It’s not the same, but it’s as close as I can get.”

Queensland's State Coroner Terry Ryan. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

Findings handed down

Mr Ryan said it had been submitted by a lawyer representing the family that there was sufficient evidence that it was the taser and not the lighter that had ignited the fire.

But Mr Ryan said experts who had testified had found that after viewing the body worn footage from each of the officers, either the lighter or taser were equally capable of having ignited the flames and he was not able to find that it was the taser that had caused the fire.

Mr Ryan said Constable Gartrell presented as a reliable and honest witness during the inquest.

“His explanation at the inquest in relation to why he deployed his taser was consistent with what he told investigators soon after the incident,” he said.

“Constable Gartrell explained that George appeared to have formed the intention to complete the act of igniting himself after he had created a barrier around himself of fuel and disengaged with police.”

He said Constable Gartrell had considered all options open to him, including the use of his baton and capsicum spray.

But he was concerned about employing spray because it was only effective within 2m.

He formed the view it left him with his firearm or his taser.

“Constable Gartrell described finding a good line of sight in order to ensure there was a lock as he believed this would complete the circuit and there would be no spark created in deploying his taser,” Mr Ryan said.

Mr Ryan said the operational procedures manual stipulated the circumstances in which a taser should not be used, including around flammable liquids.

But that provision was not prescriptive and taser training had evolved to ensure Queensland officers were aware of the possible risks in the case of a similar scenario.

When attempts to speak to Mr Grimes broke down and he poured petrol over himself, essentially the options left to Constable Gartrell were to intervene and try to control him or stand by and hope he would not complete the act, Mr Ryan said.

“Constable Gartrell’s choice was to either let George set himself on fire or to do something to try to save his life,” Mr Ryan said.

“I accept that decision was very difficult to make in exceptionally challenging circumstances and that Constable Gartrell’s intention in deploying the taser was to render George incapable of carrying out his plan.”

Mr Ryan said he was satisfied the other three officers at the scene complied with the relevant operational policies and did their best to preserve his life.

He said submissions made by Mr Grimes’ family were not critical of the actions of the involved police officers in any way and they agreed the involved officers were compassionate and professional in their approach.

“I agree with that submission,” Mr Ryan said.

Recommendation for new senior officers

During the inquest, the role of District Duty Officers was raised repeatedly, both by Detective Sergeant Dave Perry, who investigated the incident, and the four officers who were at the scene that night.

All agreed a DDO would have been a valuable resource for the officers responding that night.

The Fraser Coast Chronicle, Gympie Times and Bundaberg NewsMail campaigned for the urgent allocation of DDOs to the region in the aftermath of the inquest.

The most experienced officer at the scene the night Mr Grimes died had seven years’ experience, the inquest was told, while the other three had between one and five years of experience.

It is understood the Wide Bay is the only region between the Gold Coast and Cairns that does not have a DDO, but the creation of five positions would give coverage to the region seven days a week, 24 hours a day, with a senior officer always just a phone call away.

DDOs are typically senior sergeants with more than 15 years’ experience on the force.

In her submission regarding the placement of DDOs in the Wide Bay, Police Commissioner Katrina Carroll said the current model of having a shift supervisor and an on-call commissioned officer was adequate support for junior officers.

It was submitted that there was senior support offered to the officers throughout the incident by the shift supervisor Sergeant Christopher Elder, who had more than 20 years of experience.

He supported the officers by deploying a third crew to bring extinguishers to the scene and requesting the attendance of ambulance and fire crews.

But Mr Ryan said each of the officers involved that night had indicated in their evidence that DDO at the level of senior sergeant in the Wide Bay region would be beneficial in “providing senior level support in high risk jobs to officers on the ground”.

“I recommend that the Queensland Police Service establish a District Duty Officer at the level of senior sergeant in the Wide Bay District.”