NCJ Number
148638
Date Published
1994
Length
165 pages
Annotation
This report by the Queensland Criminal Justice Commission presents the findings and recommendations of an investigation into the death of a young Aborigines man while he was in police custody.
Abstract
Daniel Yock was arrested for disorderly conduct and transported to the police watchhouse. Upon arrival at the watchhouse from the place of arrest, his condition aroused immediate concern, and an examination showed he was not breathing and had no pulse. An ambulance was called to the scene and resuscitation was attempted and continued until he was pronounced dead at the hospital. A government pathologist determined that the cause of death was ischemic heart disease, which implied impaired blood supply to the heart; coronary artery stenosis (narrowing of the artery); coronary artery atheroma (the diseased condition which produced the stenosis); and drug intoxication. The heart attack was believed to have occurred after the police van left the place of arrest to proceed to the watchhouse. There was no evidence of physical trauma that could have been due to police brutality. The Commission found that the police arrest of Yock for disorderly conduct was appropriate and procedurally correct. A primary recommendation by the Commission is that police officers be trained to assess a prisoner's condition not only at the time of arrest but also at appropriate intervals while the prisoner is in police custody. Also, consideration should be given to the establishment of a means of communication between the occupants of special purpose vehicles of the type involved in this case and those persons imprisoned in the secure area of those vehicles. To facilitate a factual documentation of events in a police action, the Commission recommends that guidelines be changed to ensure that no debriefing session occurs until after each officer has provided a record of his/her recollection of relevant events. Appended supplementary information