Brandon Rich, 29: Inquest continues for Aboriginal man who died in police custody in Wellington

The inquest into the harrowing death of an Aboriginal man who died in his own home has heard from a specialist of how he most likely died. Here’s the latest.

The inquest into the harrowing death of an Aboriginal man who died in police custody heard he “could’ve died” in any moment because of underlying health conditions.

WARNING: This story contains an image and details of an Aboriginal person who has died.

The probe into the death of 29-year-old Wiradjuri man Brandon Rich, has heard from a professor “Mr Rich almost certainly died due to cardiac arrhythmia”.

Mr Rich died on December 30, 2021, after he was confronted by police at his grandmother’s home at Maughan St, Wellington, near Dubbo.

The coronial inquest, which began last week, heard Mr Rich suffered a cardiac arrest in his grandmother’s bathroom after he tried to jump out the window to evade police.

Brandon Rich. Photo: Supplied.

The court also heard the officers on duty used capsicum spray and did not wear body worn cameras.

NSW Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame will investigate the circumstances leading up to Mr Rich’s death, while factoring the level of restraint used by police and the use of capsicum spray.

Cardiologist Mark Adams told the court that because Mr Rich was a smoker and on medication for high blood pressure, he was at high risk of developing a heart disease.

He noted there is a gap in medicine for Indigenous people, especially those living in rural areas, for heart disease diagnoses.

Professor Adams said that while “it is not particularly common” of a person of his age to suffer from heart disease, “we do see a lot of deaths from coronary disease in 20s and 30s” in remote Indigenous communities.

“We do know people with schizophrenia suffer from heart disease,” Professor Adams said.

“It is something that happens, and we need to increase people’s awareness of it.”

He told the court because of Mr Rich’s obesity, access to healthcare and lifestyle choices, including the use of methylamphetamines, the level of physical exertion mixed with high levels of anxiety, caused his heart to beat more “forcefully”.

He said the use of capsicum spray could have also introduced a level of anxiety, however he does not believe “there is enough evidence to suggest there is a direct effect”.

Brandon Rich. Photo: Supplied.

A NSW Police senior safety operational instructor said the use of the capsicum spray was appropriate.

“It is not a case where you can stop and think and plan – you do it very quickly,” he said.

He told the court police are not trained to apprehend someone when they are halfway out a window.

The duty officers needed to “get him out the window where he was in a more safe position”.

The court heard last week the officers told Mr Rich to “lay down” and “get on the floor”, before he suffered a cardiac arrest.

The family is expected to give their address on Thursday morning.