Shyanne-Lee Tatnell’s dad bashed in ‘ferocious’ prison attack the year before her death
The father of a young girl allegedly murdered in 2023 was seriously bashed and injured in prison by a fellow inmate in an unrelated assault the year prior. What a judge found >
The father of a young Tasmanian girl allegedly murdered in 2023 was seriously bashed in prison by a fellow inmate in a “ferocious” but unrelated assault the year prior.
Risdon Prison inmate Joel Robert Purdon, 26, will spend another six months behind bars for the “pointless and vicious assault” of Nathan Dean Tatnell, the father of the tragically deceased Shyanne-Lee Tatnell.
The remains of Shyanne-Lee, 14, were located near Nabowla, in the state’s north-east, during July 2023 – about 12 weeks after she was reported as missing.
The man charged with her murder, Christopher Mark Jordan, has pleaded not guilty and is expected to stand trial in February next year.
The Mercury previously reported Tatnell has been in prison since September 2021 for the sexual abuse of a child – not Shyanne-Lee.
In his comments on passing sentence in Purdon’s case, Supreme Court Chief Justice Christopher Shanahan said the prison assault – which caused Tatnell to collapse with “significant” injuries – was captured on CCTV.
Despite the episode being recorded, the Crown noted Purdon pleaded not guilty on several occasions in the Magistrates Court before maintaining his not guilty plea on a further nine occasions in the Supreme Court.
Purdon ultimately pleaded guilty to assault.
Chief Justice Shanahan said the episode unfolded when Tatnell wanted to use the phone system in his medium-security unit, but was unable to do so as Purdon – from a different unit – was using it.
Purdon “immediately became aggressive” and pushed Tatnell using his body, leading to the two engaging in a scuffle in which Purdon punched Tatnell to the face.
Tatnell then walked into the bathroom in his unit and collapsed to the floor.
The following day, prison staff escorted Tatnell to the Royal Hobart Hospital with a wound to his eyebrow, a fractured left eye socket, blurred vision to his left eye, a numb left cheek and bruising.
Chief Justice Shanahan said Purdon had a “very significant criminal history” over guns, assault, burglary and escape crimes, and had issues with drug use.
“Inmate violence in prisons cannot be tolerated because it adversely affects the discipline and proper management of the prison,” he said.
“It also has resource implications in correctional facilities and puts other inmates at risk.”
Purdon was given a 12-month sentence over the assault, backdated to April this year, of which six months was suspended.
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Originally published as Shyanne-Lee Tatnell’s dad bashed in ‘ferocious’ prison attack the year before her death
