Inquest into the Death of Moses SOKIRI
Inquest into the Death of Moses SOKIRI
Delivered on : 8 March 2018
Delivered at : Perth
Finding of : Coroner King
Recommendations :N/A
Orders/Rules : N/A
Suppression Order : N/A
Summary : The deceased suffered from depression and anxiety. He was 31 years old.
At about 1.10am on 12 October 2014 the deceased was seen on CCTV chasing after three teenage girls at the Greenwood train station, so transit officers attended. The deceased was intoxicated but coherent. He said that he wanted to catch a train to Perth. When officers told him that his ticket was invalid he became aggressive and threatened the officers. They placed him in handcuffs. He told them that he wanted to throw himself in front of a train.
Three girls approached the transit officers and alleged the deceased had chased them and one of had dropped a $50 note, which he had picked up and would not return. The deceased disputed that. Police were called and attended. Police seized the $50 note because of the dispute as to who owned it. Police assessed the deceased’s mental state and concluded he was not a threat to himself or others. Police officers left the deceased in the custody of the transit officers, who released him and planned to charge him by summons for disorderly behaviour. The deceased left the train station.
The deceased returned to the station and was seen on CCTV at 3.12 am smoking a cigarette near a public phone. He called 000 and told the call taker that he was alone and needed to go home to get his medication. The call taker said that she would arrange for police to attend, but failed to do so. The deceased was then seen hanging himself with the telephone cord. Police and paramedics attended and administered CPR. He was taken to hospital and admitted into the intensive care unit but did not regain consciousness. He died on 26 October 2014 from bronchopneumonia and hypoxic brain injury following ligature compression of the neck (hanging).
The focus of the inquest was on the appropriateness of the actions of the transit officers, the police officers and the call-taker.
The Coroner was satisfied that the transit officers and police officers acted appropriately in all of their dealings with the deceased. The Coroner noted that the PTA and WAPOL have taken steps to train their officers to help people afflicted by mental illness. The call-taker’s failure to arrange for police to attend could not have contributed to the death.
Catch Words : Mental Health : Transit Officers : Police : Co-response Teams : Suicide : Hanging
Last updated: 8-Nov-2024
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