Indigenous man Nathan Reynolds died of an asthma attack in prison, aged 36.
One day in September 2018 at the John Morony Correctional Complex in western Sydney, Anaiwan man Nathan Reynolds phoned for help after feeling an asthma attack coming on.
The 36-year-old Indigenous father-of-one waited more than 20 minutes for a nurse to come. By that point, he was already unresponsive.
Here’s what you should know about Nathan Reynolds and the coronial inquest into his death in custody.
The coronial inquest started on Monday. Here’s what we’ve found out so far.
1 - It took more than 20 minutes after Reynolds phoned for a nurse to arrive.
2 - While he was suffering from an asthma attack, prison guards stood around him, telling him and other inmates nearby that they were unable to provide medical assistance.
3 - While waiting for the nurse, Reynolds was “begging for help with his eyes”, according to a fellow inmate. One inmate attempted to resuscitate Reynolds.
4 - When the nurse did arrive, she started slapping and shaking Reynolds, before suggesting incorrectly to prison guards he was suffering from a drug overdose.
5 - 77 minutes after he called complaining about shortness of breath, Reynolds was pronounced dead.
The four questions Reynolds’ family want answered by the inquest:
1 - Why wasn’t there an Asthma Management plan in place?
2 - Why did it take so long for the medical help to arrive on the night Reynolds died?
3 - Why wasn’t Reynolds’ provided with basic medical care?
4 - Why wasn’t the nurse equipped to save Reynolds’ life?
“Next year it will be 30 years since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody handed down its findings. The Royal Commission was meant to put an end to Black deaths in custody but the Commission’s findings continue to gather dust, and over 440 of us have died in police or prison cells since.”
Karly Warner, chief executive of the Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT)
“Nathan died on the cold floor of a prison, with no loved ones around him. He was just 36 years old - he died far too young. We’re here today because we want to know the truth and we want justice for our brother - we want to make sure that no other family should have to go through this pain.”
Family members Taleah and Makayla Reynolds