Revealed: victim at centre of jail ‘bashing’
Kelvin Davis says 25-year-old man had his lung ruptured after ‘dropping’ incident
This is the young man alleged to have died as a result of injuries received in prison — and there are now calls for police to take charge of the investigation into his death.
His name is Nick Evans and he was aged 25.
His death came just a few months into a sentence for property charges and years of wrestling with a methamphetamine addiction. He died in Whangarei Hospital last month with pneumonia after the MRSA superbug defeated treatments.
However, it is the cause of the illness which has now come under focus because of claims made in Parliament yesterday.
The illness was believed to have gained a foothold because of a rupture to his lung, which, Labour’s Kelvin Davis yesterday claimed, was caused when Mr Evans was dropped off a balcony in the privately operated Mt Eden prison.
The claim follows revelations about violence inside the Mt Eden Correctional Facility.
The degree of violence was revealed last week in online footage showing organised fights inside the prison, known as “Contender Mt Eden” among prisoners.
Mr Davis told Parliament yesterday Mr Evans had suffered the injury as a result of violence at the prison, managed by international prison operator Serco.
“I’m told on good authority that there is a practice in Mt Eden Correctional Facility that is called ‘dropping’, where . . . new prisoners . . . are sized up by gangs, they’re bashed up, and they’re dropped off the balconies on to the concrete below for good measure.
“That’s what happened to prisoner Evans. He was dropped off the balcony, his lung was ruptured, but then he was transferred out of Mt Eden Correctional Facility and sent north to Ngawha.
“People are dying because of Serco. We can't underestimate the damage and the danger.”
Mr Evans’ parents, Glenn and Julie, did not want to speak publicly yes- terday but are known to be seeking answers from Corrections over how their son died. Mr Evans had served three months of his sentence at the time he was moved from Mt Eden prison to Ngawha prison in Northland.
He arrived complaining of pain in his chest but Corrections say he was checked over before being put in a cell. A fresh check in the morning led to him being taken to a medical centre in Kaikohe and then to Whangarei Hospital. He died about two weeks later.
Corrections Association president Beven Hanlon, which has union members at the private prison, said he had been told by prison staff that Mr Evans had arrived in Northland late on the day and in pain.
“From the time he arrived at the prison he could barely stand.”
He said he was told medical treatment was sought the next morning.
Mr Hanlon said he had also been told Mr Evans had been “dropped” although was unable to class the information as more solid than a rumour.
In a statement, Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga said neither he, Corrections nor Serco had heard of “dropping”.
If evidence emerged during the review of the prison, ordered after the revelations of violence, there would be “serious consequences”.
He also attacked Mr Davis for making political capital over Mr Evans’ death and said he should apologise to the young man’s family.
Mr Lotu-Iiga’s statement did not address questions from the Herald about police involvement but instead pointed to an inquiry by the Corrections Inspectorate, which is overseen by the Office of the Ombudsman.
A Corrections spokeswoman said new information about the death of Mr Evans would be built into inquiries by the coroner, prisons inspector and the clinical health review. Serco did not respond to questions about calling in police.