Arabic version: شرطة فيكتوريا تعتذر بشأن الرعاية المقدمة لجون ماكاي أثناء الاحتجاز

According to ABC News, Victoria Police has admitted failures and apologised after John Makai, 58, died from a brain injury after spending hours unconscious in a holding cell at Broadmeadows Police Station in 2023. At a Melbourne coronial inquest, barrister Andrew Imrie, representing the chief commissioner of police, said the care provided in custody “fell short” of standards required under Victoria Police policy.

Mr Makai came to police attention on September 9, 2023, after an altercation at a Sunbury home involving his adult son, Terewa. The court heard Mr Makai struck Terewa with a mug after becoming angry over a drink spilled inside an Uber, before Terewa punched him in the head. Body-worn camera footage showed Mr Makai later losing his balance and falling backwards into a wooden bookshelf while officers were questioning the pair.

Officers were told an ambulance was unavailable and took a groggy Mr Makai to Broadmeadows Police Station for observation. During the trip, he lost consciousness and fell from his seat. Security footage showed officers carrying him, limp, to a holding cell. Counsel assisting the inquiry Rachel Ellyard said he was motionless for more than four hours and no one entered the cell to check on him.

The court heard officers believed Mr Makai was drunk, though he was likely suffering from a traumatic brain injury. A sergeant repeatedly sought an ambulance through Triple Zero Victoria, but paramedics were said to be too busy. A staff member later cancelled the ambulance in an “inadvertent error”, believing it was no longer required. After an emergency request, an ambulance arrived within minutes. A hospital CT scan found evidence of oxygen deprivation to Mr Makai’s brain, and he was diagnosed with a “non-survivable” injury. Life support was switched off days later.

Mr Imrie said disciplinary action had been taken against some employees. Triple Zero Victoria operations support director Ryan Goon said ambulance cancellation errors were “extremely rare” and the staff member received extra training. The inquest will examine whether treatment delays contributed to Mr Makai’s death, the police response and why an ambulance was not called sooner.