A detainee who was viciously bashed just hours after being remanded in custody was housed with sentenced prisoners, his lawyer has alleged.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Steven Freeman, 24, on Tuesday made a third attempt for release from the Alexander Maconochie Centre, where he was attacked late last month.
The bashing could have killed him, but for the efforts of guards and medical staff at Canberra Hospital. He was placed in an induced coma for about a week, and may have suffered permanent brain injury.
Freeman was assaulted hours after being denied bail in the ACT Magistrates Court on April 28.
His lawyer on Tuesday told the court that Freeman, an unsentenced prisoner, had been housed in the same area as sentenced inmates.
The ACT government's vision was for the jail to be human-rights compliant, and the separation of unsentenced and sentenced prisoners was considered fundamental to that aspiration.
But territory courts, in unrelated cases, have previously heard that overcrowding and a lack of available beds at the AMC have made separation all but impossible to achieve.
Staff are said to be prioritising the safety of detainees above keeping sentenced and unsentenced prisoners apart.
The allegations about Freeman's placement within the jail were made during his third attempt at bail on Tuesday.
Freeman was charged with additional offences on Tuesday, and police told the court more are likely in relation to 19 stolen cars.
Before applying for bail, Freeman was required to demonstrate circumstances had changed since his last attempt for release on Thursday, something he achieved through the offer of a surety of $1000 from his mother.
The prosecution maintained its opposition to Freeman's release, and called evidence from Detective Constable Gary French.
The officer said police held fears Freeman would reoffend.
The court heard that Freeman was involved in an altercation with a guard while in hospital receiving treatment for his injuries.
Police were required to assist the guard and Freeman was then handcuffed to his hospital bed.
Magistrate Peter Dingwall told the court he wanted to see medical reports on Freeman before deciding on the bail application.
The hearing was adjourned until later this month and Freeman remains in custody.
He was marked as a prisoner-at-risk.
