November 20th 2024.
When he first joined the ranks as a correctional officer, he had a strong belief that he could make a positive impact on the community he loved. A community that was struggling with poverty and generational trauma. He had a strong sense of purpose and a desire to break the cycle of abuse and poverty in families.
"I truly believed that if I could change the life of just one person, it would have a ripple effect and potentially break the cycle for a whole family," he shared with the court today. But as time went on, he realized how naive and idealistic he was.
Recently, the officer and his colleague, who have chosen to remain anonymous for legal reasons, were viciously attacked by two inmates at the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre. The incident took place on December 19, 2020, and left his colleague with multiple stab wounds, while the officer himself was tied up and brutally beaten, stabbed with a makeshift weapon, and even burned with a hospital-grade disinfectant called Fincol.
It took six long hours before the hostage situation was finally resolved, thanks to negotiations that included the possibility of enrolling the two inmates in a buprenorphine injection program. However, Corrective Services NSW admitted to breaching the Work Health and Safety Act, acknowledging their failure to implement proper policies that could have prevented such a violent incident.
Some of these breaches included not having an airlock for officers to enter and exit their station, which would have isolated them from the inmates. Additionally, there was a lack of secure storage for hazardous chemicals like Fincol.
In a heartfelt victim impact statement read to the NSW District Court, the officer described the long-term effects of the incident. He shared that he now has permanent nerve damage in his hands and feet, partial blindness, and severe burns on his body.
"I used to believe that scars were like tattoos, telling stories of our journey," he wrote. "But the scars on my body tell a different story - one of abuse, trauma, and events beyond my control."
The pain from his injuries is constant and unbearable, making it difficult for him to even touch another person. It has also greatly impacted his relationships with friends, family, and his partner. He expressed that the actions of others have derailed their lives in ways that no one should have to endure.
"I am plagued by a sense of betrayal every day," he shared. "The people I trusted with my safety and well-being should never have broken that trust."
Judge Wendy Strathdee was visibly moved by the officer's statement and thanked him for his bravery in sharing his story. She also commended Corrective Services NSW for taking responsibility for the failures in their health and safety systems.
The state agency has since implemented new policies to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. The ambush was orchestrated by an inmate, who cannot be named, serving a 27-year prison sentence for the brutal murder of a service station attendant in 2017. The 24-year-old inmate teamed up with another inmate, 27-year-old Noel Barrett, to attack the guards.
The judge did not set a date for Corrective Services NSW's sentence.
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