Finding into death of William Maxwell
Deceased
William Maxwell
Demographics
53y, male
Date of death
2018-03-27
Finding date
2021-05-21
Cause of death
Hanging
AI-generated summary
William Maxwell, a 53-year-old corrections officer, died by hanging on 27 March 2018. The inquest examined whether workplace bullying contributed to his death. Maxwell had changed his statement about a colleague's misconduct (Prem Chand) in December 2016, exposing a toxic culture at Melbourne Assessment Prison where officers adhered to an unwritten code against reporting colleagues. Although Maxwell reported feeling ostracized and isolated, no one directly witnessed bullying, and he never filed a formal complaint. The coroner found insufficient evidence of bullying despite acknowledging a toxic workplace culture. Maxwell's death appeared precipitated by a marital crisis (infidelity discovered days before death) and concern about upcoming Fair Work Commission testimony. The coroner noted suicide is multifactorial and declined to make recommendations, noting Corrections Victoria has implemented substantial cultural reforms since his death.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- Toxic workplace culture at Melbourne Assessment Prison with unwritten code against reporting colleague misconduct
- Gossip and innuendo following officer's changed statement about another officer's misconduct
- Perception of ostracization and isolation from colleagues
- Marital crisis precipitated by discovery of infidelity four days before death
- Concern about testifying at Fair Work Commission hearing
- Possible workplace stress (though not formally established by medical records)
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