Medical records tendered to inquest show Ivan Milat died in a nappy

Medical records show that beneath his regulation prison green T-shirt, Ivan Milat was wearing an adult nappy when his body was taken to the morgue.

Serial killer Ivan Milat died wearing a nappy.

He was cheerful, “compliant” and polite as he faced his death in Long Bay jail hospital from oesophageal cancer, prison documents also reveal.

The former truckie protested his innocence to the end, telling his last Serious Offenders Review: “I will never stop trying to clear my name.”

An inquest last month found Milat died alone in cell 32 on October 2019 of natural causes on oxygen and the pain killer morphine. He was serving a life sentence for the murder of seven backpackers whose butchered bodies were found in the Belanglo State Forest south of Sydney in 1992 and 1993.

Ivan Milat was serving a life sentence for the murder of seven backpackers.

Ivan Milat maintained he was innocent until his death. Picture: STR/Fairfax LTD AFP

Medical records tendered to the inquest show that beneath his regulation prison green T-shirt, he was wearing an adult nappy when his body - tag number 0140823 - was taken to the morgue.

The only personal things he had in his hospital cell were letters from people who continued to write to him in jail.

For security reasons, the heavily-redacted prison records make no mention of his attempted escape from Maitland Jail in 1997 alongside convicted drug dealer and former Sydney councillor George Savvas. The pair planned to overwhelm prison guards and dress in their uniforms. The day after the plan was foiled after a tip-off, Savvas hanged himself in his cell.

A cell at Long Bay Hospital similar to that in which Ivan Milat died. Supplied by Corrective Services NSW

The records reveal that after that attempt, Milat was considered a high security inmate and an escape risk who was kept in segregation.

They note he was also considered at risk of self-harm after swallowing razor blades and staples in 2001 and cutting off the little finger of his left hand with a plastic knife. He had intended to mail it to the High Court to protest his conviction.

He read books from the prison library, knew few fellow prisoners and didn’t want to know them, his last Serious Offenders Review in December 2018 was told, giving a rare insight into his time behind bars.

Ivan Milat.

“Milat stated he enjoyed his own company and has no interest in any approved associates,” the report said.

By that time, symptoms of his cancer had begun with difficulty swallowing and gastrointestinal problems.

“He displayed an appropriate mood with some joviality at times. He is currently compliant with unit routine and is polite to staff,” the report said.

Apart from the escape attempt, records listed four minor infractions in jail. He twice failed to supply a urine sample, once had unauthorised property in his cell and was banned from buy-ups for a week after damaging bedding and clothing in his cell.

He had $2,981 in his prison account when he died and was given a destitute burial.

Originally published as Medical records tendered to inquest show Ivan Milat died in a nappy