Silverwater prison governor Tracey Mannix says she feared for her safety before alleged assault
A decorated prison governor who allegedly assaulted a female inmate has told a court she feared she was moments away from being attacked.
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A decorated prison governor who allegedly assaulted a female inmate has told a court she feared she was moments away from being attacked.
Silverwater prison governor Tracey Margaret Mannix is alleged to have grabbed a woman by the throat following a frightening incident on June 15 2021, where a prisoner was self-harming. She has pleaded not guilty to assault.
On the second day of a hearing at Burwood Local Court on Tuesday, the 56-year-old said staff were visiting two inmates in a behavioural unit when they discovered a prisoner inserting a carrot into an open wound.
The prisoner, who can’t be named for legal reasons, had returned from a prison hospital only days earlier for separate incident of self harm and was told she was at risk of losing her leg.
Mannix gave evidence she had believed she’d developed a special bond with the alleged victim, and treated female prisoners in a “motherly” fashion.
“I’ve seen prisoners do all sorts of things, but never that,” Mannix told the court.
“I was in shock. We had a good rapport, I’d learned a lot about her. I wanted to understand why she was self-harming, and why she was so aggressive.”
Mannix and at least four prison officers entered into the inmate’s cell, before Mannix removed the carrot by slapping it away.
The victim allegedly then became aggressive, telling the prison governor: “I’ll smash you, c**t”.
The prisoner is alleged to have hurled insults at Mannix over the next few minutes, telling her she was a “two-faced a*****e” and the prison’s guards did not trust her.
Shortly after, Mannix is alleged to have leaned over the prisoner before grabbing her by the neck.
Giving evidence, Mannix claimed to have only “inadvertently” touched the woman inmate’s neck.
“I honestly believed the inmate was going to assault me,” Mannix told the court. “She made it clear on numerous occasions that it was her intention to ‘smash me’.”
Giving evidence on Monday, the inmate admitted to having been aggressive towards Mannix.
Shortly before the alleged act, the inmate punched the wall.
Mannix’s lawyers argued the long-serving prison officer was within her rights under legislation to use violence on the inmate in an attempt to maintain “order and control”.
“There are occasions when violence could, and should, be used in a prison,” her lawyer said.
“Mannix was acting within her lawful powers to achieve control of someone – an inmate – who was being defiant. The law allows that, so long as it is reasonable.”
The police prosecutor said Mannix was not proportional in her response, given the inmate was neither fleeing nor violent at the exact time of the alleged act.
In cross examining, the prosecutor questioned Mannix’s fearfulness, citing that she had not left the room during the incident.
The court also heard evidence from three separate correctional officers present during the incident.
Mannix had only recently started as Silverwater women prison’s governor in March 2021, having served as a governor elsewhere in the state since 2009 and as a correctional officer for more than 34 years.
On Tuesday, she told the court she cared deeply about her inmates, and pioneered programs that allowed women in behavioural units to paint murals in an effort to calm self-harming tendencies.
Mannix will reappear before Burwood Local Court for judgment on April 6.
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