At the NSW State Coroners Court today for the third day of Nathan Reynolds& #39; inquest. Today we can expect to hear more from NSW Corrective Services officers — after hearing earlier this week from people inside who tried to save Nathan& #39;s life. #JusticeForNathanReynolds
A message from the Reynolds family yesterday to those also inside Outer Metro Correctional Centre who provided first aid and care to Nathan in his final moments. Follow @wewillfight4you for updates. #JusticeForNathanReynolds https://twitter.com/wewillfight4you/status/1318486155722067968">https://twitter.com/wewillfig...
A few tech issues here for non-family observers (we& #39;re in a separate room to assist with COVID restrictions). Evidence currently being heard from a CO (not yet identified to us) about Nathan& #39;s call for help to the duty room. #JusticeForNathanReynolds
Q: & #39;When you got this call, you were concerned that it wasn& #39;t legitimate?& #39;
A: & #39;Every call [INAUDIBLE] you& #39;ve got to check it is legitimate.& #39;
Q: & #39;So your position is: I don& #39;t treat this as a medical emergency unless I see it myself.& #39;
A: & #39;That& #39;s correct.& #39; #JusticeForNathanReynolds
Q: & #39;You would accept that it& #39;s your responsibility that to do your job effectively, you should be familiar with these policies?& #39;
A: & #39;Yes. Bits and pieces.& #39;
#JusticeForNathanReynolds
Q: & #39;You had information that [Nathan] had breathing difficulty [per the policy], but you didn& #39;t go immediately?& #39;
A: & #39;That& #39;s right.& #39;
Q: & #39;You were nonetheless still of the view that unless you attended it & assessed it as an emergency, you would not call Justice Health?& #39;
A: & #39;Yes.& #39;
Q: & #39;Your practice was that you would take it seriously, but until you confirm it with your own eyes you won& #39;t confirm it as legitimate.& #39;
A: & #39;Yes.& #39;
Q: & #39;So you go in with a degree of skepticism about whether it could be a medical emergency.& #39;
A: & #39;Yes.& #39; #JusticeForNathanReynolds
Q: & #39;Had you concluded this was a medical emergency, walking over?& #39;
A: & #39;Not at that point. I had to see for myself.& #39;
#JusticeForNathanReynolds
Q: & #39;What about when all the inmates were calling to you as you were walking to & #39;hurry up!& #39;, the knock up call requesting a nebuliser? Did at that stage trigger that it was an emergency?& #39;
A: & #39;Clearly something was going on [but couldn& #39;t confirm what it was].& #39;
Q: & #39;The inmates had complied with your direction to move back. They were yelling things, but you accepted that what they were yelling were expressions of concern for Nathan [including a lack of nurse and slow CO response]. Is that right?& #39;
A: & #39;Yes.& #39; #JusticeForNathanReynolds
Q: & #39;The idea that there was a risk that the inmates were going to leave then, it& #39;s fanciful isn& #39;t it?& #39;
A: & #39;No.& #39;
#JusticeforNathanReynolds
The CO confirms that in the six minutes they were waiting for assistance, he was monitoring inmates against potential escapes or non-compliance. He confirms no officers had formally assigned roles among themselves to tend to Nathan, one CO was near him. #JusticeForNathanReynolds
Q: & #39;Did anyone articulate: "I will monitor his breathing." Did anyone say those words?& #39;
A: & #39;No.& #39;
Q: & #39;You were in no position to monitor breathing, were you?& #39;
A: & #39;No.& #39;
#JusticeForNathanReynolds
Q: & #39;Can I suggest that your preoccupation with inmates escaping meant that you were not in a position [to assist Nathan]?& #39;
A: & #39;Yes. I was managing inmates.& #39;
Q: & #39;Can I suggest you were relying on inmates [to provide that assistance]?& #39;
A: & #39;No.& #39;
#JusticeForNathanReynolds
Q from Justice Health: & #39;Is it correct to say that no nurse played a role in your twelve and a half minute delay in eye-balling an inmate that you knew was having difficulty breathing, requiring a nebuliser and requested a nurse?& #39;
A: & #39;I don& #39;t understand.& #39;
#JusticeForNathanReynolds
Q: & #39;Did you take the defibrillator [to attend to Nathan]?& #39;
A: & #39;No.& #39;
Q: & #39;Is there a way that the nurse would have known it was taken off the crash kit?& #39;
A: & #39;Yes. It& #39;s [a standard process].& #39;
Q: & #39;You hadn& #39;t read [the procedure] requiring the response kit be brought?& #39;
A: & #39;No.& #39;
Q: & #39;You don& #39;t know where the emergency response kit is located?& #39;
A: & #39;The crash cart, I don& #39;t know where that is located.& #39;
Q: & #39;Are you aware it& #39;s the same as the emergency response kit [in the procedure]?& #39;
A: & #39;No.& #39;
Q: & #39;What& #39;s the response kit?& #39;
A: & #39;I don& #39;t know.& #39;
Q: & #39;Are you aware that when you apply DR ABC, you have to remove danger [to ensure safety for responders]?& #39;
A: [INAUDIBLE]
Q: & #39;Do you accept the appropriate thing to do was to clear the inmates from the area?& #39;
A: & #39;When we arrived, they were spaced back.& #39;
#JusticeForNathanReynolds
Q: & #39;What do you understand the duties of a responding officer to be?& #39;
A: & #39;Assess the situation, establish a perimeter, contain and isolate, evacuate all uninvolved personnel.& #39;
#justicefornathanreynolds
Q: & #39;You& #39;ve already described that your training tells you that of a night three officers must respond to an incident.& #39;
A: & #39;Yes.& #39;
Q: & #39;Is that for the security and safety of officers, inmates and also to ensure the scene is safe for entry for health service providers?& #39;
A: & #39;Yes.& #39;
The CO is asked if the reason he stood by the door after getting Nathan a wheelchair was for security in H-Wing, in which people inside were not closed into discrete cells. He says, & #39;Yes, definitely, they walk around freely.& #39; #JusticeForNathanReynolds
Q: & #39;Did you appreciate that you owed Nathan a duty of care? You answered & #39;to a certain point& #39;. Could you elaborate?& #39;
A: & #39;With any incident, you& #39;ve got to go in first to see what the problem was.& #39;
#JusticeForNathanReynolds
Q: & #39;Do you have any difficulties today with these events?& #39;
A: & #39;I do.& #39;
Q: & #39;Aside from memory, has anything else concerned you about this incident?& #39;
A: & #39;I have psychological problems, it& #39;s affected my family.& #39;
#JusticeForNathanReynolds
Can confirm that this was CO Fawzy. All quotes to the best of my comprehension and typing speed, do check them with the transcript. #justicefornathanreynolds
Now hearing from CO Singh, another CO who was in the duty office when the first call knock-up came through from Nathan. & #39;It was along the lines of, "Chief, I can& #39;t breathe."& #39; #justicefornathanreynolds
Q: & #39;Do you recall what was said on the second call?& #39;
A: & #39;Yeah, it was an inmate, it was along the lines of & #39;hurry up!& #39;.& #39;
#justicefornathanreynolds
Q: & #39;Are you saying that it& #39;s not as secure as medium or higher security —& #39;
A: & #39;It& #39;s the only unit that didn& #39;t have a contingency plan, if there was a riot situation. We discussed it numerous times that this is the only gaol where we could be surrounded and there was no back up.& #39;
Q: & #39;The CCTV shows yourselves walking to H-Wing. About 11 minutes before, the first call [came through]. It& #39;s 8 minutes after the second call that you& #39;re seen on screen.& #39;
A: & #39;I& #39;m not disputing that, but we didn& #39;t do a group hug. We didn& #39;t waste any time. I was already anxious.& #39;
Q: & #39;What& #39;s your assessment of the seriousness of the situation?& #39;
A: & #39;We& #39;ve had knock ups before where we& #39;ve been unsure of the severity and we& #39;ve had people yelling [...] and was a footy match. When you walk in there it could be anything.& #39;
#justicefornathanreynolds
CO Singh: & #39;In hindsight, I could have done a million things, had a chopper there. That& #39;s what I was trying to say before, this was a situation in hindsight I could have done a lot of things.& #39; #JusticeForNathanReynolds
Q: & #39;Is there a hard and fast rule that you can& #39;t run to an incident-& #39;
A: & #39;I don& #39;t differentiate between human rights. Rights are human rights yeah.& #39;
Q: & #39;So you could run to an incident like this-?& #39;
A: & #39;I have broken that policy in the past to do that, yeah.& #39;
Q: & #39;There& #39;s no explicit discussion about whether a nurse has been requested, as you& #39;re walking over?& #39;
A: & #39;Not at that point, no.& #39;
Q: & #39;How long would it have taken a nurse to get there, on your understanding?& #39;
A: & #39;Five, maximum ten minutes.& #39;
#JusticeForNathanReynolds
Q: & #39;How far away were you when you could hear the inmates yelling for you to hurry up, yelling & #39;he can& #39;t breathe& #39;?& #39;
A: & #39;A hundred metres.& #39;
Q: & #39;Did that impact your view of the seriousness of the situation?& #39;
A: & #39;You& #39;ve still got to walk in there with an open mind.& #39;
(court currently being shown footage, technical issues mean the spillover room can& #39;t see it.)
Q: & #39;Did [COs] pace impact how fast you were going?& #39;
A: & #39;Possibly.& #39;
Q: & #39;Surely you would have an idea -& #39;
A: & #39;I could have walked a lot faster, but I had to stay with my team. How fast my colleagues were going, I can& #39;t comment on that.& #39;
#JusticeForNathanReynolds
CO Singh: Nathan was sitting on the couch with a puffer in his hand, inhaling it.
Q: What was his condition?
A: He was almost [guttural gasp] along these lines.
Q: Was your immediate impression asthma attack?
A: No, I& #39;ve never seen one in my life.
#JusticeForNathanReynolds
Q: & #39;What does he say when you tell him you need a nurse?& #39;
A: & #39;He said the nurse was on the way, that& #39;s all I heard for five or ten minutes.& #39;
#JusticeForNathanReynolds
technical issues, been unable to hear or see the court for the last little bit. looks like we& #39;ve missed out on some significant evidence from CO Singh. will try to catch up.
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