NSW Police sex crimes squad forms Strike Force Dupa to investigate whether Wayne Astill had more victims

NSW Police have established a second strike force to investigate the possibility of further female inmates falling victim to disgraced prison officer Wayne Astill during his time working in the correctional system.

NSW Police have established a second strike force to investigate the possibility of further female inmates falling victim to disgraced prison officer Wayne Astill during his time working in the correctional system.

Wayne Astill was found guilty in 2022 of sexually abusing 12 female inmates, including a pregnant woman, inside the Dillwynia Correctional Centre in Sydney’s west.

He was originally charged with 51 offences relating to 13 inmates, but was acquitted of 17.

Astill was jailed for a minimum of 15 years for 34 offences, including aggravated sexual assault and indecent assault.

The NSW Court of Criminal Appeal earlier this year dismissed Astill’s bid to have time slashed off his sentence.

Former prison guard Wayne Astill outside the Downing Centre courts in 2022. Picture: NewsWire / Dylan Coker

In July last year, Astill’s predatory offending sparked a high-profile special commission of inquiry into systematic failures within Corrective Services NSW, with findings handed down in February.

This masthead can now reveal a second strike force is working to determine whether Astill had even more victims too afraid to come forward before he was found guilty.

Police arrest Wayne Astill, centre, following Strike Force Nautilus investigations.

The NSW Police State Crime Command’s sex crimes squad is leading the charge with Strike Force Dupa, following on from 2018’s Strike Force Nautilus, which originally investigated Astill.

According to a source with knowledge of the investigation, Strike Force Dupa kicked off some time after the inquiry when “inmates started being listened to”, resulting in “more alleged victims being identified”.

Another source close to the inquiry said along with additional alleged victims “who were missed”, there are also “lots of implications of there being more named perpetrators”.

Revelations of the second strike force coincide with a separate investigation into Corrective Services NSW staff, who are accused of concealing Astill’s abuse.

Dillwynia Correctional Centre in Windsor, where Wayne Astill abused inmates.

Two female prison officers have since been charged with intimidating inmates who were to give evidence in the inquiry.

A Corrective Services source said “Astill sympathisers”, who “stuck their heads in the sand” and allegedly enabled his offending to continue, were under scrutiny over claims they concealed, ignored or failed to report the abuse.

It is understood the investigation will look at whether the allegations amounted to criminal negligence by allowing further offences, including rapes, to be committed.

In a statement, a Corrective Services NSW spokesperson said the department took “inmate safety seriously”, and referred to multiple avenues available for prisoners to report misconduct, including the free and anonymous phone line.

“Inmates have access to the sexual misconduct reporting line that was established by the NSW Government in advance of the release of the recommendations of the special commission of inquiry into the offending of Wayne Astill, as part of a suite of measures aimed at rebuilding trust in the corrections system.”

Meanwhile, a NSW Police spokesman confirmed Strike Force Dupa was underway.

“As those investigations are ongoing, we are unable to provide comment,” the spokesperson said.