Tensions rising in Hakea Prison for months before inmate linked to Cleo Smith killed

Tensions within the notorious Perth Prison where an inmate was bashed to death on Thursday had been rising for months, it’s been revealed.

WA Police confirmed a prisoner at Hakea had died on Thursday morning. Picture: 9News

Tensions had been rising within a notorious WA prison for months before an inmate with links to the Cleo Smith case was found dead on Thursday.

Ashley Bropho was found unresponsive in his cell at Hakea Prison just after 8am on Thursday. The West Australian has reported he is suspected to have been beaten to death.

Bropho, 40, grew up in the same home as Terence Kelly, the man who confessed to abducting Cleo Smith in October 2021 near Carnarvon.

He is the grandson of late Aboriginal elder Penny Walker, who adopted Kelly when he was two years old.

Barrister Clint Hampson, who had been representing him ahead of his sentence for the abduction of a nine-year-old girl, confirmed his client had died, but had no further information on the circumstances of his death.

A spokesman for the WA Prison Officers Union said tensions had been rising within the maximum security prison “for several months”.

WAPOU Secretary Andy Smith said the union could not comment specifically on Bropho’s death as there was an ongoing police investigation, but said the jail was often overcrowded and understaffed.

Ashley Bropho grew up in the same home as Terence Darrell Kelly (pictured).

Kelly has pleaded guilty to abducting four-year-old Cleo Smith from her family's tent in Western Australia during the early hours of October 16 2021.

“Incidents of this nature are clearly traumatic and stressful for our members, particularly for

those who were first on the scene,” he said.

“Tensions have been rising in Hakea Prison for several months now, with overcrowding and

understaffing frequently reported.

“In response, our officers have been forced to make adjustments to procedures in order to

run the prison. Today’s traumatic incident unfortunately demonstrates the risks prison officers face while doing their jobs in a difficult environment.”

Hakea Prison is a maximum security facility, about 16km south of the Perth CBD.

Claremont killer Bradley Robert Edwards has been held at the facility, as has former footballer Ben Cousins.

Prison staff provided first aid and paramedics were called to the prison after Bropho’s body was discovered, but he was unable to be revived, WA Department of Justice confirmed.

Police were notified of the death about 9.25am, and attended the prison to launch an investigation surrounding the circumstances of his death.

Officers will prepare a report for the coroner.

Hakea Prison is a maximum security facility for males in the Perth suburb of Canning Vale. Picture: 9News

Bropho had appeared in the WA District Court on Tuesday for a sentencing hearing over an incident in July in which he lured a nine-year-old girl away from a park in Doubleview, in Perth’s northern suburbs, as she walked her dog.

The court heard Bropho lead the girl to his nearby home, where he kissed her on the lips, pushed her onto a bed, and exposed himself.

The girl escaped after Bropho’s NDIS-funded carer arrived at the home.

He had been due to be sentenced on Friday.

Bropho’s death caused parts of the prison to be put into lockdown, creating havoc for scheduled court appearances via video link from Hakea on Thursday morning.