Coroner's Finding: Menzies, Jason Douglas

33y · Male·Marburg variant of multiple sclerosis

Jason Menzies, aged 33, died in custody from Marburg variant multiple sclerosis after rapid neurological deterioration. He initially presented with urinary retention on 1 December 2022, which was appropriately investigated. When acute neurological symptoms emerged on 3 December, he received comprehensive investigations including MRI, lumbar puncture, and broad-spectrum antibiotics. A neurologist appropriately recommended plasma exchange and corticosteroids. The coroner found no diagnostic or treatment failures—this rare, fulminant demyelinating disease progresses too rapidly for earlier diagnosis to have prevented death. The standard of medical care was appropriate throughout, both in prison health and at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.