Deceased
James Leslie Stocks
Demographics
46y, male
Date of death
2013-03-07
Finding date
2016-03-30
Cause of death
chest injuries (multiple rib fractures, flail segment, haemopneumothorax); also had significant scalp injury
AI-generated summary
James Leslie Stocks, a 46-year-old man living on an opal mining field in Lightning Ridge NSW, died from chest injuries sustained in a fall into a mine shaft on 7 March 2013. He had consumed significant alcohol, cannabis, and benzodiazepines the evening before. The shaft cover (weighing 14.6 kg) was likely removed intentionally shortly before his death, though no eyewitness evidence establishes how he entered the shaft. The coroner found the manner of death unknown—accident, suicide, and foul play could not be conclusively ruled out. All witnesses present were substantially intoxicated and gave unreliable, shifting accounts. The inquest examined mine shaft safety practices; the Department of Industry's safety training, guidelines, and compliance programs were found adequate, with no recommendations made.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
Procedures
Male, female, male, female·Nicholas Brown: combined drug (methadone and benzodiazepine) intoxication; Toni …
Joint inquest into four deaths of individuals prescribed opioid replacement therapy by Dr J. between September 2016 and August 2017: Nicholas Shane Brown (35), Toni Lee Wiki (38), Matthew Wayne Winwood (47), and Belinda …
40y · Male·Unascertained
Nathan James Taylor, aged 40, died in Port Lincoln Prison on 24 March 2022 while in custody pending trial on witness interference charges. He had significant medical history including infective endocarditis with tricuspi…
56y · Male·Unascertained
John William Swiety, 56, disappeared on 17 March 2023 in bushland near Goongerah, Victoria, after traveling with Daniel Harrison. Harrison's account contains significant inconsistencies and omissions. Although charged wi…
Source and disclaimer
This page reproduces or summarises information from publicly available findings published by Australian coroners' courts. Coronial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any coronial court or government body.
Content may be incomplete, reformatted, or summarised. All court orders for redaction and non-publication are respected; documents with technically defective redaction have been excluded from the database entirely. Always refer to the original court publication for the authoritative record.
Copyright in original materials remains with the relevant government jurisdiction. AI-generated summaries and tagging are for educational purposes only, may contain inaccuracies, and must not be treated as legal documents. We welcome feedback for correction —