Wayne Hunt death in custody exposes misunderstanding in ‘at risk’ procedures in Darwin prison
Prison workers believed they were following procedure as they recorded a Territory grandfather’s final moments of consciousness. WARNING: Distressing.
Prison guards believed they were following procedure as they faithfully documented a dying man’s decline over hours without ever getting him medical assistance, an inquest has heard.
On Monday, coroner Elisabeth Armitage reopened the death in custody inquest for Wayne Hunt, a grandfather who died three days after his post-seizure symptoms were treated as a ‘behavioural incident’ by Darwin prison guards.
Mr Hunt suffered an epileptic fit on August 29, 2024, but rather than being taken to the medical clinic he was handcuffed, bound in a spit hood and wheelchair, before being stripped naked and left in the ‘at risk’ cells designed for people on suicide watch for 14 hours.
Despite being held in a unit meant to be under constant observation, no one noticed when the critically unwell, naked and sedated man projectile vomited twice, appeared to suffer another seizure and fell off his bed.
The next morning the 56-year-old was found lying on his belly, his breathing heavy and garbled, turning “purplish blue”, and he died three days later.
The red flags of his deteriorating condition were missed in an ‘at risk’ cell meant to be under constant CCTV observation, with officers meant to check their patients with “the naked eye” every 15 minutes, according to NT Corrections policy.
But Ms Armitage was repeatedly told by experienced and senior NT Corrections officers the realities of observing the at-risk cells varied significantly from the official procedure.
Multiple officers — including two Officers in Charge — said they understood the ‘at risk’ procedures meant they merely had to make notes based on looking at the CCTV every 15 minutes.
Ms Armitage said this meant “anything could happen” between those intervals.
An experienced officer tasked with monitoring Mr Hunt and five other ‘at risk’ people said he understood the role was limited to “making sure they’re not hurting themselves” by checking the cameras, and only physically inspecting them if there was an issue.
“You basically documented him faithfully every 15 minutes, with your looks at the CCTV, as he died,” Counsel assisting the coroner Mary Chalmers said.
The Corrections officer said he twice flagged concerns to his nightshift OIC, but was told to “just let him sleep”
Ms Armitage said the CCTV showed only a cursory check on Mr Hunt, saying the OIC appeared to have given the concerned guard the “short shrift”.
The nightshift OIC claimed he had questioned why the post-seizure, sedated man was not in hospital, and was merely told a medical decision was made to place him ‘at risk’.
The senior officer said he was merely told to monitor for “signs of life”, as Mr Hunt had been sedated until medical staff could see him the next morning.
“I’m really struggling to understand how Corrections can have a person sedated to the point of unconsciousness for a 12 hour period, overnight, and that fits within a Corrections policy that can occur within an at risk cell,” Ms Armitage said.
The OIC said it was “not uncommon” for an unconscious, heavily sedated person to be kept in the at-risk cells, even if it meant they could not access the duress button if they needed urgent help.
He said if he was confronted by the exact same situation, he would still have to follow the same procedures.
“I hear you telling me that you were following procedure, but obviously we know that a tragedy was unfolding,” Ms Armitage said.
The inquest also heard from an Immediate Action Team officer who said in the “thousands” of Code Blue medical alerts he had attended, he had never returned to the clinic without a nurse present.
Watching footage of Mr Hunt’s arrival into the clinic — in a spit hood, handcuffed, strapped to a wheelchair, and yelling out incoherently — the Corrections officer said there was a significant “confusion” about what to do.
But rather than send someone to get a doctor or nurse, another IAT member ran to find a restraint chair, with the intention of strapping Mr Hunt down.
The Corrections’ Use of Force directive said this was a device of “last resort” only to be used to prevent a person from self harming, or hurting others, and needed approval by the General Manager or a delegate, while health workers had to be informed immediately.
Despite needing higher level approval, the footage showed IAT members asking the OIC if they could use the restraint chair.
“ As long as it’s under camera, go for it,” the OIC said.
Ms Chalmers said the OIC appeared to be just ‘wandering by’ and was armed with very little information when he appeared to authorise the use of the restraint chair.
She asked if he had a tendency to approve requests from his officers, without questioning if there needed to be an escalation of the use of force.
“I approve what I need to at the time,” he said.
“The information I have is gathered wholly and solely from what my staff.”
The inquest continues.
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Originally published as Wayne Hunt death in custody exposes misunderstanding in ‘at risk’ procedures in Darwin prison
