System failed Voula

A CORONER has supported sweeping changes at Risdon Prison after the stabbing death of beloved North Hobart shopkeeper

Voula Delios at the hands of a violent and erratic man who was released from jail the day before he killed her.

CIRCA 1980: Daryl Royston Wayne Cook was born into a “large and dysfunctional family” in Tasmania. His childhood is marked by abuse.

1993: Sister is murdered in Victoria, and his brother later dies by suicide. Cook goes on to amass a “significant number of convictions” across South Australia and Victoria for violent crimes and making a threat to kill.

2000: Jailed twice including for an assault and a wounding.

2002: Admitted into an adult psychiatric unit in South Australia after a suicide attempt.

2003: Jailed in South Australia for armed robbery.

2007: Jailed in Victoria for six years, with a non-parole period of three years, for intentionally causing serious injury.

2011: Again jailed in Victoria, this time for six months after making a threat to kill and threatening to cause serious injury.

2015

May 20: In Tasmania, Cook is taken into custody at Risdon Prison after committing burglary and common assault. An assessment is conducted by correctional staff and the prison health service. During this assessment, Cook is assessed as having “no history of institutional violence”, “a moderate record of prior convictions”, “no prior major offence convictions” and “no history of instability”.

May 24: A second assessment is conducted, with one staff member noting Cook “appears not to be of sound mind”.

May 28: A prison psychiatrist reviews Cook but finds “no evidence of mental illness”.

June: His mental health fluctuates severely while in prison, urgently asking for medication on June 15 but denying two days later that he has anything wrong with him. In the same conversation, he says he will harm anyone he believes to be gay. Cook also expresses suicidal ideation while incarcerated. He receives no mental health treatment during this time. July 1: Granted bail.

July 15: Back at Risdon following fresh offending. Staff members note he was previously violent towards employees and another prisoner and had threatened to harm gay and Islamic people. October: While already locked up at Risdon, he’s given an extra year behind

bars for committing grievous bodily harm 10 years prior by stabbing his victim four times. July 16, 2015 – July 13, 2016

Cook’s “erratic, threatening and deeply problematic” behaviour at Risdon includes aggression, threats to staff, destroying his mattress, throwing urine under the door, fashioning handmade “shivs”, threatening to destroy the camera and television in his cell and start a fire, and is recorded talking of cutting and stabbing people’s throats. He also defecates on the floor and lies in his own excrement, makes sexual comments to female staff, refuses antipsychotic medication, argues with himself in a mirror, spits and screams, claims he is a “Jedi”, and rants and screams abuse for hours at a time.

2016

July 22: Released from Risdon Prison after he is granted a remission of 10 weeks. He is told to attend a Community Corrections meeting at midday, but he doesn’t show up.

July 23: Cook stabs Voula Delios to death at her Elizabeth Street, North Hobart, grocery store. That night, police arrest Cook – who still has the knife in his possession – at Claremont and he makes full admissions. He is charged with murder.

2018

September: Cook is found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity.