WAcommunity

Inquest into the Death of Njana

Deceased

Hendrick Njana

Demographics

24y, male

Date of death

2008-12-30

Finding date

2010-12-21

Cause of death

left intracerebral haemorrhage and consequential brain bleeding resulting from head injuries caused by assault

AI-generated summary

Hendrick Njana, a 24-year-old Aboriginal male, was assaulted on 27 December 2008 by Shaun Steven Midd at a service station in Broome, suffering a strike to the head causing unconsciousness, kicks to the head with steel-capped boots, and skull fractures. Police arrested Njana at the scene despite CCTV evidence showing he was a victim, not an offender. He was taken to Broome District Hospital where Dr Kriek examined him, incorrectly recorded the injury timing as 6pm rather than 8pm, and allowed discharge against medical advice. Njana was re-arrested as he left hospital, taken to Broome Police Station cells, and found unconscious at 4:45am. He died on 30 December 2008 at Royal Perth Hospital from left intracerebral haemorrhage and consequential brain bleeding from the head injuries. The coroner found serious failures: inadequate handover of medical information to police, failure to obtain details of hospital treatment, poor cell monitoring, and failure to record CCTV. However, medical evidence indicated Njana would likely not have survived regardless of earlier detection.

AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes. Report an inaccuracy.

Specialties

emergency medicineintensive careneurology

Error types

communicationdelaysystem

Drugs involved

alcoholanti-epilepticssedation

Clinical conditions

head traumaskull fractures (bilateral temporal bone fractures)subdural haematomaintracerebral haemorrhagetraumatic brain injuryloss of consciousnessseizuresalcohol intoxication

Procedures

CT scanintubationsedationanti-epileptic therapy

Contributing factors

assault with kicks to the head causing skull fractures
misrecording of injury timing by treating physician (6pm vs 8pm)
discharge against medical advice from hospital
failure of police to obtain details of hospital treatment
re-arrest of victim without medical assessment
inadequate cell monitoring in police custody
failure to communicate medical concerns to custodial staff
separation of patient from partner and medication
lack of CCTV recording capability in cells

Coroner's recommendations

In cases where police arrange for an injured victim of a crime of violence or an injured person in custody to be taken to hospital, police and nursing staff should ensure that a reliable history is taken prior to departure of police, particularly if the injured person is under the influence of alcohol
The Custody Handover Summary should require entry of a summary of any medical treatment or medical assessment made in respect of any prisoner who has been seen by a medical practitioner shortly before being taken into custody or while in custody
The Custody Handover Summary should record contact details for a medical practitioner or other person who can provide advice in the event that the condition of a prisoner deteriorates and can provide advice as to the nature of any specific observations required
WA Police should ensure that CCTV coverage of cells in police stations is recorded so that in the event of a death in custody or serious incident within the cells, that recording will be available

Full text

Official source Archived copy

Related cases from WA

WAhospital2026-03-27

Inquest into the Death of Sandipan DHAR

1y · Male·Complications of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

A 21-month-old boy died from sepsis secondary to pneumonia complicated by undiagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). He presented to ED on 22 March with a three-week history of intermittent fever, had seen three GP…

emergency medicinepaediatricsdiagnosticcommunicationparacetamol

WA2026-03-26

Inquest into the Death of Brian John KEALY

42y · Male·Ligature compression of the neck (hanging)

Brian Kealy, aged 42, died by hanging at Hakea Prison on 2 August 2024 while on remand. He had a complex psychiatric history including polysubstance use, personality disorders, and treatment-resistant psychotic symptoms.…

psychiatrygeneral practicediagnosticcommunicationolanzapine

WAhospital2026-03-09

Inquest into the Death of Russell Graham PENNY

56y · Male·complications of viral hepatitis related advanced-chronic liver disease (medical…

Russell Graham Penny, a 56-year-old Aboriginal man, died from complications of advanced chronic liver disease with hepatocellular carcinoma while imprisoned at Casuarina Prison. He had a long history of hepatitis C and c…

gastroenterologyhepatologycommunicationsystem

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. Some material may have been redacted or restricted by court order or privacy requirements. 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 — report an inaccuracy here.