New hotline for prison sexual assaults receive 515 reports in just nine months

A new hotline set up in response to a former prison guard convicted of raping inmates has received hundreds of calls from inmates since its launch in December.

A newly set up hotline for the prison inmates to report allegations of sexual misconduct has resulted in more than 500 calls in the space of just nine months.

Figures released by Corrective Services NSW have revealed 515 phone calls have been made to a new dedicated ‘sexual misconducting’ reporting line that was launched in December to enable inmates to anonymously report allegations of abuse.

The call line was set up by Corrective Services in response to an inquiry into former prison guard Wayne Gregory Astill who was last year convicted of abusing his position to sexually assault female inmates over several years and sentenced to 23 years in prison.

The new reporting phone line is resulting in an average of almost two calls a day from across male and female corrections centres.

The Daily Telegraph understands some complaints made in recent weeks have included alleged harassment by a prison guard directed at a non-binary inmate in custody.

The phone line is available to prison inmates.

Leon Taylor, Acting Commissioner of Corrective Services NSW, told a parliamentary hearing that the phone line is operated by six Corrective Services staff who are also tasked with operating a Corrective Safety Support line.

A NSW Corrective Services spokeswoman said the reporting line received calls on a “wide range of issues pertaining to allegations around incidents that have occurred both inside and outside of custody”.

“It is vitally important inmates have access to a confidential avenue for disclosing and seeking support around issues of sexual misconduct and we encourage the use of the (reporting line) for this purpose,” she said.

The hotline was set up in December.

“Any allegations made regarding the misconduct of a Corrective Services NSW staff member are immediately submitted to Corrective Services’ Professional Standards and Investigation unit to investigate and take disciplinary action if necessary.

“We commend those inmates who have already made use of the service”.

NSW Upper House MP Sue Higginson said she was “not surprised” by the large number of calls made to the reporting line since December.

Ex Prison guard Wayne Astill pictured at a court hearing in 2022.

“The level of abuse we’ve heard about in correctional centres in recent years has been shocking and extreme,” she said.

“The establishment of the line is a good step forward but still there needs to be more done in terms of bringing about cultural change and systemic reform.”

The reporting line operates free of charge and is answered by staff who work independently from correctional centres. Staff can also assist in referrals to psychologists and other support agencies as well as facilitating formal complaints to NSW Police.

The figures come after The Daily Telegraph, in August, revealed almost 40 cases of inappropriate relationships between Corrective Services NSW staff and inmates have been referred to ICAC since 2019.

At the time, Corrections Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said the “misconduct is an affront to the majority of staff who do the right thing and it fails the inmates trusted to the care of our corrections”. 

The NSW Government has committed $30 million over four years to address issues raised in response to the Astill inquiry including installing additional CCTV cameras and funding an external women’s advocacy service.