Aboriginal woman who collapsed in a police cell and died five hours later would have survived if officers called an ambulance, inquest hears
- Rebecca Maher was found dead in a police cell after being detained for 5 hours
- Police believed she was intoxicated, but didn't find someone to take care of her
- An inquest revealed Ms Maher wouldn't have died if medical care was provided
An Aboriginal woman who died in a cell would have survived if police had called an ambulance and not breached their own policies, an inquest has heard.
Mother-of-four Rebecca Lyn Maher, 36, was picked up by police in Cessnock in the NSW Hunter region in July 2016.
She was put into a holding cell in Mailtland where she collapsed and was found dead five hours later.
Mother-of-four Rebecca Lyn Maher, 36, (pictured) who died in a police cell in 2016 would have survived if police had called an ambulance and not breached their own policies
An autopsy revealed she died from mixed drug toxicity after taking a combination of methadone and benzodiazepines leading to respiratory failure.
An inquest into her death on Friday heard that police should not have left her in the cell and should have called paramedics.
Acting state coroner Teresa O'Sullivan said she accepted counsel assisting's submission that 'the criteria for calling an ambulance was satisfied when it was clear that Rebecca was stumbling and incoherent'.
Share this article
'If that had occurred, expert evidence suggests that Rebecca would have survived,' she said.
She said it was dangerous and inappropriate for police to think an intoxicated person could just 'sleep it off'.
Her state was such that she should have been taken immediately to hospital, Ms O'Sullivan said.
In delivering her findings in Sydney with Ms Maher's family (her mother, Debbie, pictured above) watching via video link from Newcastle, the coroner recommended police make all reasonable efforts to find a 'responsible person' to take care of an intoxicated person
Ms Maher hadn't been drinking. Two chemist pill bottles were found in one leg of her pants after she died.
She was never searched and only asked to turn out her pockets.
In delivering her findings in Sydney with Ms Maher's family watching via video link from Newcastle, the coroner recommended police make all reasonable efforts to find a 'responsible person' to take care of an intoxicated person.
Acting state coroner Ms O'Sullivan recommended to the NSW police commissioner that the force consider improving its training to provide clear information regarding circumstances that call for searching intoxicated people (Ms Maher's death sparked protests, pictured)
Information was also incorrectly passed on that Ms Maher was HIV positive when she was in fact HIV negative. She also had antibodies to hepatitis C.
The inquest heard she wasn't searched or physically examined because officers feared contracting the viruses.
Ms O'Sullivan recommended to the NSW police commissioner that the force consider improving its training to provide clear information regarding infectious diseases and risks, and circumstances that call for searching intoxicated people.
She also pushed for more education for custody managers.
Comments 0
Share what you think
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
