SYSTEM FAILED VICTIM

A DISTURBING paper trail has revealed the violent, erratic and disturbing history of a Risdon Prison inmate who stabbed a beloved grandmother to death the day after he was allowed to walk free.

On July 23, 2016, Greek “yiayia” and North Hobart shopkeeper Voula Delios was killed in a frenzied, seemingly random attack by Daryl Royston Wayne Cook — who was released from jail only a day prior.

In 2018, a jury found Cook not guilty of murder by reason of insanity.

But on Friday, a coroner revealed the concerning list of system failures — and the shocking catalogue of Cook’s “erratic, threatening and deeply problematic” behaviours — that preceded Mrs Delios’s death.

Cook already had a lengthy violent criminal history before he was incarcerated at Risdon Prison — and a background of severe mental illness.

According to records, while he was incarcerated at Risdon Prison during 2015 and 2016, Cook threatened and assaulted staff and other prisoners, fashioned handmade “shivs”, talked of cutting and stabbing people’s throats, defecated on the floor and lay in his own excrement — and refused antipsychotic medication.

Yet these factors were seemingly overlooked, and he was released back into Hobart society — with 10 weeks of his sentence shortened for “good” behaviour — despite his repeated violent and concerning actions behind bars.

“Once again the gross inadequacy of Tasmania’s prison system has been revealed,” Greg Barns SC, the Prisoners Legal Service chairman, said.

“Many prisoners suffer from mental illness, including acute mental illness. The current system simply warehouses them with no support or aftercare when they leave prison.

“Those with chronic physical and mental health problems are sent into a prison system which is grossly underresourced to deal with health.”

In his findings released on Friday, Coroner Simon Cooper said Cook was released early with “no support at all” and no legal requirement to take his antipsychotic medication.

He said on the day of his release, Cook was directed to attend a meeting with Community Corrections — the body responsible for people on probation, but never showed up. Mr Cooper said Community Corrections failed to notify police about what had transpired.

“I consider that Mr Cook was released into the community suffering from a serious, but untreated mental illness, and while suffering from that illness killed Mrs Delios,” he said.

“He was released early, having been granted a remission for good behaviour, when his behaviour had been the antithesis of ‘good’. He was released with, in effect, no support at all.”

Mr Cooper stopped short of blaming correctional services or system failures for Mrs Delios’s death, however he supported suggestions from lawyer Jane Ansell about improvements in the prison system to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

Outside court on Friday, Mrs Delios’s daughter Maria Hall declined to comment, saying she needed time to peruse the findings.

“It doesn’t bring her back,” she said.