Govt. takes responsibility for prison officers stabbed and burnt during ambush

The government of New South Wales has acknowledged its failure to provide a safe working environment for its employees, following a terrifying incident at the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre. On December 19, 2020, officers Nathan Fuller and Matthew Lansdowne were ambushed and attacked by an inmate, resulting in one officer being stabbed with a shiv and the other suffering from chemical burns.

Both officers were simply going about their day as usual at the correctional facility near Kempsey when the unexpected and violent attack occurred. The Department of Communities and Justice, which is responsible for overseeing Corrective Services NSW, later admitted to shortcomings in their health and safety policies that led to the incident.

The inmate responsible for the ambush cannot be named for legal reasons, but has been serving a 27-year sentence for the brutal murder of a service station attendant in 2017. Along with another inmate, he lured Fuller and Lansdowne out of their station under the pretense of needing help opening a storeroom. Once outside, the two inmates launched their attack with makeshift weapons.

Lansdowne sustained two stab wounds to his neck and various cuts and bruises on his body. He was able to remove one of the inmates from the station, but was left to deal with the other on his own. The other officer, Fuller, was tied up with a skipping rope and brutally beaten, kicked, and stabbed with a shiv. The inmates also poured a hospital-grade disinfectant over him, causing chemical burns.

The injuries sustained by Fuller were severe, including a stab wound to his chest, 40 superficial stab wounds on his back, and head injuries from being hit with a fluorescent light bulb. He also suffered from eye damage and blurred vision due to swelling on his face. The situation escalated when the inmate threatened to kill Fuller and set him on fire with a can of fly spray.

After six hours, the hostage situation finally came to an end when negotiations resulted in Fuller being released in exchange for the two inmates being considered for a buprenorphine injection program. This prescription opioid can help with substance abuse issues.

In April 2023, the two inmates were sentenced to additional time in prison for their attack on the officers. The department was also prosecuted by SafeWork NSW for failing to provide a safe workplace. This included not having proper protocols in place for guards to enter and exit the station without being exposed to inmates, as well as not securely storing chemicals like the one used in the attack.

Although these deficiencies were addressed after the incident, there were still no policies in place to secure loose items or transfer risk assessments when inmates were moved to different jails. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for November 20 at the Downing Centre District Court.

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