Death of David Dungay Jr.
David Dungay Jr was a 26-year-old Aboriginal Australian man who died in New South Wales Corrective Services custody at the Long Bay Correctional Centre on 29 December 2015. Early life. Dungay was of Dunghutti heritage, and grew up in Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia with his mother, Leetona Dungay, and his siblings. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was six years old. Dungay was a keen rugby league player as a child. Death in custody. In December 2015, Dungay was serving a sentence for assault, aggravated attempted sexual intercourse and  party to robbery and was due to be released the following January. On the morning of 29 December, he obtained some biscuits and rice crackers from his belongings and proceeded to start eating them in his cell when guards ordered him to stop due to his diabetes. After he refused or ignored the orders to stop, several correctional officers entered his cell, restrained him and moved him to another cell so that he could be better observed by a camera. Dungay strenuously resisted the restraints and was injected with the sedative midazolam. Shortly afterwards, while still being restrained, Dungay became  unresponsive. Despite immediate administration of CPR by prison officers and health staff, the calling of an ambulance and further efforts to resuscitate him by ambulance paramedics, Dungay did not regain consciousness and was declared dead at 3:42pm. Coronial inquest. The coronial inquest into Dungay's death began on 16 July 2018. At the inquest, camera footage showed that he was held down and yelled "I can't breathe" multiple times. The commissioner of corrective services, testifying at the inquest, stated that it was a misconception that a restrained person who can talk must be able to breathe. On 22 November  2019, the coroner found none of the guards involved should face disciplinary action and their conduct "was limited by systemic deficiencies in training". After the findings were announced, Leetona Dungay stated that justice had not been served and their family would seek prosecution of the guards. In June 2021 she said that she intended to lodge a complaint with the UN Human Rights Committee, hoping that it would encourage all levels of government in Australia and other institutions to implement the recommendations of the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. She is being assisted by human rights lawyers  Jennifer Robinson and George Newhouse.