The South Australian coroner has heard prison management believed guards involved in the restraint of Wayne Fella Morrison “ran interference” to obstruct an investigation into the events in a way that he had never seen in his 17-year career.
Michael Dent, who was assistant general manager of the Yatala Labour Prison on the day, appeared on Tuesday at the coronial inquest into the death in custody of Morrison.
Dent was asked a series of questions about the training of officers, standard operating procedure and the roadblocks experienced by police who attempted to investigate the events of that day.
However, when asked about evidence heard by the coroner that painted a picture of a dysfunctional prison environment, Dent said he had never seen a response to an incident like that on the day Morrison was restrained in his 17-year career.
“As I have said I’ve never witnessed an incident go that way at any site. In my opinion, and this is my opinion, I do believe there were people running interference,” he said. “People running interference on that day that was making it difficult.”
Dent made clear he did not see anything directly, but recalled conversations with others in prison management about the behaviour of supervisors and other staff who they believed were “hampering” an investigation.
Pressed for more detail, Dent identified corrections officers Shirley Bell and Michael Griffith.
“I don’t believe Shirley Bell and Mick Griffith did anything to assist in the management of this incident. And other staff as well,” Dent said.
“I believe people were obstructive. If SAPOL were attending an institution for the purpose of an investigation there should be no hindrance, there should be no difficulties in entering the site.”
The coroner heard Bell and Griffith were married at the time and that Griffith returned to the prison on the day of the incident without direct authorisation from management in order to support other officers.
The evidence followed renewed calls from Morrison’s family for the South Australian state government to immediately pass laws banning the use of spit hoods in state prisons.
Supporters of the family stretched police tape across the front of the supreme court building, dressed as prison guards wearing spit hoods and placed a red liquid on the floor to represent blood.
Speaking to reporters, Morrison’s sibling Latoya Rule called for justice in her brother’s case and for spit hoods to be immediately banned in law by the South Australian government.
“SA government’s commitment to phase out spit hoods should be legislated in law,” Rule said. “Their use needs to be banned right now.
“We cannot risk another death.”
The Department of Corrections made the decision to phase out spit hoods in state prisons on 30 April but did not inform the family.
Rule said the family had gathered more than 26,000 signatures in a petition calling for a permanent ban on spit hoods.
Morrison – a 29-year-old Wiradjuri, Kokatha and Wirangu man – had not been convicted of any crime and was being held on remand at the time of his death on 26 September 2016 at the Royal Adelaide hospital.
In the lead-up to his death, Morrison had been restrained by the wrists, ankles, placed in a spit hood and positioned face down in the back of a transport van with five officers.
The inquest continues this afternoon with the coroner expected to hear from Darren Hosking, who was the acting general manager of Yatala Labour Prison at the time.
