Wayne Hunt dies in NT prison days after being re-sentenced by Supreme Court over driving death of Daemarius Purcell-Appo

A disabled driver who fatally struck an 11-year-old boy in an NT car park has died in custody, just 96 hours after he was re-sentenced to prison.

NT Corrections has confirmed Wayne Hunt died while in custody last week. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

A disabled man has died in custody 96 hours after being re-sentenced to prison over a fatal driving accident which claimed the life of an 11-year-old boy.

NT Corrections confirmed Wayne Hunt, 55, died in custody last week, days after he was re-sentenced for dangerous driving causing the death of 11-year-old Daemarius Purcell-Appo.

In February, Hunt pleaded guilty and was initially sentenced to three months in prison, followed by a nine month home detention order after accidentally killing the Queensland boy, days before Christmas 2022.

The Supreme Court heard during sentencing that Hunt, a one-legged man, was high on cannabis and driving an unmodified large Dodge Ram ute at the Moulden supermarket, when he accidentally switched his car into drive — not park — and pressed the accelerator, not the brake.

The court was told Hunt’s ute pinned the boy to the wall of the supermarket for eight seconds, causing fatal injuries to the 11-year-old boy.

Wayne Peter Hunt leaving the Supreme Court. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

In August, the Supreme Court of Appeal found Hunt’s initial 90 day prison sentence was “manifestly inadequate” for the series of events that resulted in the death of a child.

On August 27, Hunt was re-sentenced to a further nine months in prison.

It is understood about four days into his new sentence, Hunt was declared deceased on Saturday, August 31.

A NT Correctional Services spokeswoman confirmed to this masthead that Hunt died in custody, but was not able to detail if it was being treated as suspicious, or if his death was related to his health.

“As a death in custody, it is subject to a mandatory referral to the Coroner and NTCS is unable to provide further comment,” she said.

During the appeal hearings it was noted Hunt suffered a seizure during his previous period of incarceration, but noted “it has not been suggested that conditions in prison contributed to the occurrence”.

Justice Huntinford heard Hunt also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after a motorcycle accident in 2008 which claimed one of his legs.

The Court of Appeal heard this psychological strain had “had gradually decreased to a ‘tolerable level’ as a result of medication, therapy and support from family and friends”.

The initial sentencing Justice Meredith Huntingford noted Hunt’s doctor had recorded him as suffering from “harrowing forms of remorse and guilt” over the boy’s death.

In sentencing when the silent CCTV footage of the incident was replayed, Hunt was heard crying and sniffling, unable to watch the screen.

Justice Huntingford at that time said Hunt’s mental health conditions and disability would have made prison more “onerous” on him compared to the general prison population, which the Appeal Justices supported.

According to the Australian Institute of Criminology there have been 67 deaths in custody this year, 50 of which occurred in a prison setting.

Originally published as Wayne Hunt dies in NT prison days after being re-sentenced by Supreme Court over driving death of Daemarius Purcell-Appo