Prisoners—Escapes
775. Hon Nick Goiran to the minister representing the Minister for Corrective Services:
I refer to the answer from the Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney General to my question without notice on 10 September 2025, which revealed that the department has four ongoing investigations into incidents whereby prisoners or detainees have escaped or attempted to escape custody.
(1) Other than the escape by Robert Kevin McCullough on 25 August 2025, which other three escapes are under investigation?
(2) Why are those investigations taking so long, given the McCullough investigation is due to conclude on 19 September 2025?
(3) Will the minister commit to delivering a statement to Parliament on the outcome of each of the four investigations once known?
Hon Matthew Swinbourn replied:
I thank the member for some notice of the question. The following answer has been provided to me by the Minister for Corrective Services.
The Department of Justice advises:
(1) The other three escapes under investigation are the following.
The answer is in tabular form. I seek leave to have that table incorporated into Hansard.
Leave granted for the following material to be incorporated.
|
DATE |
FACILITY |
CIRCUMSTANCES |
|
22/07/2024 |
CASUARINA PRISON |
Prisoner escaped from Fiona Stanley Hospital as part of medical assessment/treatment and was recaptured by escort staff in nearby carpark. |
|
26/09/2024 |
GREENOUGH REGIONAL PRISON |
Prisoner escaped during transit. He was re-captured by WAPF and returned to Greenough Regional Prison. |
|
22/07/2025 |
MELALEUCA WOMEN'S PRISON |
Prisoner escaped from Ambulance upon arrival at Fiona Stanley Hospital for assessment following a fall from her bed. Prisoner was recaptured by escort staff in nearby carpark. |
(2) The time required to complete investigations varies on a range of factors, including the availability of witnesses.
(3) No.
