Prisoner who tipped faeces on guards at Metropolitan Remand Centre had attacked staff before

A prisoner who tipped a rubbish bin of faeces over guards at a Victorian prisoner had a history of attacking staff, WorkSafe has found.

A prison inmate who tipped faeces over officers at a maximum security jail had a background of assaulting staff, a report by safety inspectors has found.

Officials from WorkSafe visited the Metropolitan Remand Centre on Monday after the horrific incident a day earlier resulted in four staff being forced off work.

The report, seen by the Herald Sun, shows the inmate who carried out the attack had been at the MRC for four days after being transferred from the Frankston police complex.

It states he has been diagnosed with an intellectual disability and that inspectors were told he had complained of not being prescribed his usual medicines.

“The alleged perpetrator has a documented history of assault (of) police/corrections officer,” the report says.

“The alleged perpetrator has previously assaulted police/correctional officers through the act of spitting.”

The victims were at a workstation in the Attwood unit when they were attacked.

The report said CCTV showed the alleged perpetrator walking in a calm manner with a small black rubbish bin from his cell before speaking briefly with another inmate.

The prisoner who carried out the attack had been at the MRC for four days. Picture: AAP

“They can be observed approaching the officer station/console before reaching down into the black rubbish bin where they then grab hold of what was confirmed to be a one-litre carton of UHT milk,” the WorkSafe summary states.

“They can be observed removing the lid of the carton before emptying the entire contents … in the direction of correctional officers who appeared to be completing assigned administrative tasks. Correctional officers were observed to quickly retreat from the unfolding situation however despite swiftly relocating, the brown substance can be seen making contact with their person/s.”

The report said the kind of screens used in health care workplaces could provide a barrier against “biological assault” and that interim measures might include refresher training in “situational awareness”, a review of workstations so staff faced inmates advancing on the console and proximity sensors.

The inmate involved in the weekend incident has since been transferred to Port Phillip Prison.

A provisional improvement notice (PIN) was placed on MRC after an incident in which an officer was injured in a stabbing at the Ballan unit workstation in July.

The PIN was imposed on the basis that inmates were able to get to staff by jumping or scaling the counter.

The Department of Justice and Community Safety has sought a review of the notice.

The Herald Sun revealed earlier this year that a former officer at the Ravenhall Correctional Centre in Melbourne’s west had won a court settlement after a bucket of faeces urine and spit was poured over her.

The career of Amy Young was ruined by the incident and she said she still suffered mental health issues as a result of the attack in 2020.

A DJCS spokesman said in the aftermath of the weekend’s incident that Corrections Victoria was dedicated to the staff and prisoner safety and security and that it took any assault very seriously.