Death in custody of respected Warburton community elder
On the 27 January 2008 respected Warburton Aboriginal elder Mr Ward collapsed in the back of a Global Solutions Limited van after a four-hour trip from Laverton to Kalgoorlie in Australia’s remote West. Mr Ward died a short time later at Kalgoorlie Regional Hospital. The 46-year-old elder was being transferred to face a charge of drink driving. He was found unconscious in the back of the van in the middle of the afternoon when temperatures outside exceeded 40 degrees.
The van’s air-conditioning was not operational. The van is part of a fleet owned by the Western Australian State Government but managed by the private prison management GlobalSolutions Limited.
No matter what the Coroner determines - and I look forward to his findings and recommendations - the State of Western Australia is responsible for the Death or Mr Ward and appropriate compensation should be paid to his family.
The WA ‘Deaths IN Custody Watch Committee’ has organised a rally and march to be held this Friday lunchtime in Perth.
