Victoria Police has apologised for the death of a man who spent hours unresponsive with a brain injury in a Broadmeadows cell as he waited for paramedics.
asserted
he → apologise → paramedics
CCTV footage played in the Coroner’s Court on Monday showed three officers carrying John Makai’s limp body into a holding cell about 1.15am on September 10, 2023.
asserted
officers → play → September
Police had arrived at Makai’s Sunbury home about an hour earlier, following a report the 58-year-old had fought with his adult son after both consumed alcohol.
asserted
both → arrive → alcohol
Opening the inquest into the death on Monday, Rachel Ellyard, counsel assisting the coroner, told the court Makai struck his son, Terewa, in the head with a mug and continued to approach him, despite warnings not to.
asserted
Makai → open → warnings
Makai was then punched twice and fell to the floor, Ellyard said.
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Ellyard → punch → floor
In a phone call played in court, a friend could be heard contacting Triple Zero to ask for an ambulance before changing his mind as others in the background told him to hang up.
uncertain
others → play → him
A dispatcher then created a police job instead.
asserted
dispatcher → create → job
Body-worn camera footage showed officers arrived at a house on Timins Street at 12.11am to find Makai and his son injured.
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Makai → wear → 12.11am
Although both declined treatment, police requested paramedics attend.
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paramedics → decline → treatment
“They were advised there would be delays because of workload pressures that night on Ambulance Victoria,” Ellyard said.
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Ellyard → advise → Victoria
She described Makai as “argumentative” in the body-worn camera footage, which captured him standing up, losing his balance, and falling back into a bookcase, where he hit his head.
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he → describe → head
“He just blacked out, hey,” a man could be heard saying.
uncertain
man → black → ?
The body-cam footage then showed Makai’s former partner tending to him and saying he was fine.
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he → show → him
Makai’s son told police: “This has never happened before.”
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This → tell → police
Ellyard told the court police then designated Makai as having breached family violence laws, so he could be taken to Broadmeadows police station as paramedics weren’t immediately available.
uncertain
paramedics → tell → station
He was carried from his home to the police divisional van.
asserted
He → carry → van
“With the benefit of medical evidence, it appears … a developing brain injury was impeding his ability to walk,” Ellyard said.
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Ellyard → appear → ability
Video from inside the van shows Makai’s head was bumped again as he was dragged out by the ankles on arrival at Broadmeadows police station.
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he → show → station
“That vision shows John has experienced a serious decline in his consciousness and capacity to walk since he was put in that van,” Ellyard said.
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Ellyard → show → van
Members of Makai’s family shook their heads in court on Monday as CCTV footage showed him being carried in a prone position onto a cell bed.
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him → shake → bed
Custody officers reported Makai was snoring, but Ellyard told the court there were no signs of voluntary movement.
asserted
Ellyard → report → movement
“What was perceived as a deep drunken sleep may have actually been a traumatic injury and bleeding into the brain,” she said.
uncertain
she → perceive → brain
Custody Segreant Neil Gregory called a police dispatcher at 1.25am to check on ambulance availability, but the court heard he was told crews were still busy.
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crews → call → availability
Another call was made at 2.18am, but the dispatcher said Ambulance Victoria was still dealing with 40 to 50 pending jobs.
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Victoria → make → jobs
A dispatcher’s error then led to the ambulance being cancelled about 3am, the court heard.
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court → lead → ?
Gregory asked police subordinates to check on Makai every 15 minutes, but the court heard this did not occur as frequently as required.
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this → ask → Makai
Ellyard said cell footage showed Makai remained basically motionless from about 2am to 6am.
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Makai → say → am
“Apart from a very small movement to shield his eyes from glare ... no movement was recorded at all,” she said.
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she → shield → glare
No police entered the cell during this four-hour period.
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police → enter → period
When a new watchhouse sergeant arrived after 6am and realised Makai was unable to be roused, officers entered his cell and tried to wake him by rubbing his sternum and pinching his arm.
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officers → arrive → arm
Gregory had then called Triple Zero after learning the earlier ambulance had been cancelled.
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ambulance → call → Zero
“We were all expecting the ambulance here five hours ago,” Gregory said in a phone call aired in court.
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Gregory → expect → court
“I’ve never known anyone not to stir like this.”
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anyone → know → this
Paramedics arrived at 6.29am and discovered Makai had a traumatic brain injury.
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Makai → arrive → injury
He was taken to hospital, where he recorded a blood alcohol level of .13, and was later found to have suffered unsurvivable trauma.
asserted
he → take → trauma
His life support was switched off on September 12.
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support → switch → September
Barrister Andrew Imrie, representing the police chief commissioner, said custody officers failed to complete a medical checklist and risk assessment at the Broadmeadows police station.
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officers → represent → station
“It’s a situation which we work tirelessly to avoid,” Imrie said.
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Imrie → ’ → which
“In this case, however, my client acknowledges at the outset of this inquest that the standards of care in custody fell short of expected standards.
asserted
standards → acknowledge → standards
“As the evidence currently stands, its unclear whether these shortcomings would have made a difference to the tragedy in this case … but [the chief commissioner] apologises.”
uncertain
commissioner → stand → case
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
