Deceased
Neil Wills Heyward
Demographics
53y, male
Date of death
2009-06-06
Finding date
2012-11-14
Cause of death
neck compression due to hanging
AI-generated summary
Neil Heyward, aged 53, died by hanging in Port Augusta Prison on 6 June 2009 while on remand for murder. He had been in custody since December 2007 and was managed by prison social workers and medical staff. Although he presented as deeply unhappy and was on the high-risk assessment team list, he consistently denied suicidal intent. A chaplain raised serious safety concerns after an emotionally distressing incident in December 2008, but reported encountering an abusive response from prison officers; the Department disputed this report. The coroner found treatment otherwise appropriate but identified a critical system failure: the cell's physical layout created a ligature point (bench/shower wall junction) that enabled the suicide method. The coroner emphasised this as a known, recurring problem in South Australian prisons and made urgent recommendations for safe cell design across all prisons to eliminate such hazards.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
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…
53y · Male·Hanging
PE, aged 53, died by hanging in Parklea Correctional Centre on 3 February 2024, four days after entering custody for the first time on remand. The coroner found PE's death was self-inflicted at a time of emotional turmoi…
41y · Male·Ligature compression of the neck (hanging) and penetrating sharp force injury (s…
Corey Desmond Devree, aged 41, died by suicide in Bunbury Regional Prison on 14 October 2024 through ligature compression of the neck and a self-inflicted stab wound to the chest. Key clinical and systemic lessons includ…
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