National

Murder charge prompts NSW prison strike

By AAP Newswire

Aug 11, 2022

PRISON STOCK — A Corrective Services officer is charged with murder over the shooting death of a man in 2019. -AAP Image

NSW prison officers are considering going on strike after a colleague was charged with murdering an inmate three years ago.

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Public Service Association general secretary Stewart Little said a Corrective Services officer is facing an upgraded charge of murder over the shooting death of a man attempting to escape custody.

The 43-year-old Wiradjuri man was handcuffed and shackledÂ when he elbowed an officer and ran off outside Lismore Base Hospital in northern NSW on March 15, 2019.

He had been taken into custody earlier that day after being denied bail for assault charges, and appeared to have an epileptic seizure in the cells at Lismore Local Court.

He was taken by ambulance to hospital by two officers and was discharged about 7.30pm after being treated.

As he fled, the man was allegedly shot in the back and died of a single gunshot wound.

A Corrective Services officer, known as Officer A, was initially charged with manslaughter in February 2021.

The officer pleaded not guilty in February this year and was due to face trial in October.

The NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has been contacted for comment.