Coroner to hold inquest into Howard Springs ‘death in custody’, while other findings to stay secret

The Territory Coroner will ‘likely’ rule a woman who died at the Centre for National Resilience was ‘in custody’.

TERRITORY Coroner Greg Cavanagh will “likely” rule a woman who died in the Howard Springs quarantine facility in December was “in custody”, triggering a mandatory inquest, the NT News can reveal.

But Mr Cavanagh has also made a preliminary determination that an elderly man who died in the same facility the previous month was not “in custody” at the time, meaning an inquest is not mandatory under the Coroner’s Act.

Territory Coroner Greg Cavanagh.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles confirmed the death of the woman in her 50s in the Centre for National Resilience in December, saying it was not related to Covid-19.

“Because it was an unexpected death within a government facility, appropriate steps have been taken,” she said at the time.

“The coroner has been notified and there’ll also be an internal review, but very tragic that that individual has passed away and I extend my condolences to her family and community.”

A spokesman for Mr Cavanagh’s office has now confirmed the woman’s death will likely be the subject of a full public inquest.

“On the information to date, the Coroner has determined it to be a death in custody and (there) will, therefore, likely be a mandatory inquest,” he said.

But the spokesman said the 77-year-old man, who died at the facility in November after reportedly drinking a whole bottle of vodka, had been determined not to be “in custody” and any findings would not be made public.

“Both investigations are ongoing and so no final decision had been made,” he said.

“But on the information to date, it is likely that the death of the man will not result in an inquest and the findings will be provided to the family only.”

Staff in full PPE at the Centre for National Resilience in Howard Springs. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Another man, who was staying with the 77-year-old in the CNR after returning from overseas, told the NT News at the time that the elderly man had brought the duty free bottle of vodka with him and drank the whole thing in one go.

“This gentleman travelled with my friend from Singapore and he got a bottle of duty free vodka in Singapore,” Lucas Malasti said.

“He skolled a bottle of vodka, went to his room and was stone dead the next morning.”

Mr Malasti said he understood the man had been travelling home from the UK to see his son who was living in Western Australia.

When asked how one person who was detained in the CNR at the time of their death was considered “in custody”, while another person who also died in the same facility was not, the spokesman said: “That was a legal determination made by the Coroner.”

Originally published as Coroner to hold inquest into Howard Springs ‘death in custody’, while other findings to stay secret