Inquest into the Death of Wayne HARRIS

56y · Male·complications of advanced metastatic sigmoid adenocarcinoma in an adult man with terminal palliative care

A 56-year-old Aboriginal man died of advanced metastatic sigmoid adenocarcinoma while serving an 11-year sentence for child sex offences. He had been diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer in 2018 with an expected lifespan of 12-24 months at the time of imprisonment in 2022. During his two-year incarceration, he received generally high-standard medical care including chemotherapy and regular monitoring at Fiona Stanley Hospital. However, significant gaps occurred: he missed approximately five months of chemotherapy appointments (May–October 2023) primarily due to claustrophobia and anxiety about prison transport vehicles. Transport arrangements were eventually modified in September 2023, but the delay may have affected disease progression. When brain metastases developed in October 2024, he was transferred to Bethesda Hospital on 20 November 2024 and died eight days later. The coroner found that while supervision met custodial standards, delays in resolving transportation issues meant care was not equivalent to community standards, though the terminal nature of his condition meant earlier intervention would not have prevented death.