Two correctional officers breached multiple security protocols before a maximum-security prisoner escaped from hospital and was fatally shot hours later, a coroner has found.
Nicholas Aaron Scott, 26, died after being shot in the chest with a sawn-off shotgun by David John Coles at Granton on January 3, 2023 – just three hours after breaking free from the Royal Hobart Hospital.
Coroner Simon Cooper delivered scathing criticism of the officers, finding both had “failed to perform their duty” in several ways that directly enabled Scott’s escape.
The inquest heard Scott was in hospital recovering from swallowing razor blades and other objects.
He had been handcuffed to his bed, but despite strict policies requiring maximum-security prisoners to remain restrained at all times, the officers repeatedly removed his cuffs.
“If the officers had been doing their job properly … then it is reasonable to conclude that Mr Scott would not have escaped,” Cooper found.
The breaches were extensive. One officer wore headphones to listen to music and had removed his shoes, claiming a bee sting made him unfit for work.
The pair also allowed Scott a 20-minute unauthorised phone call, during which he threatened that someone was a “f–king dog and is going to get murdered”.
At 10.35pm, Scott asked to use the toilet. One officer removed his handcuffs and neither properly monitored the ensuite door.
By 10.47pm, Scott had fled. CCTV showed a six-second delay before one of the correctional officers gave chase in socks, abandoning the pursuit soon after reaching a stairwell.
Cooper described that officer as “argumentative, dismissive and generally evasive” when giving evidence. The other claimed to have no memory of key events.
After escaping, Scott travelled to Salamanca, took a taxi to his former girlfriend’s house in Granton, used illicit drugs and later went to Black Snake Road where the fatal confrontation occurred.
The coroner rejected suggestions that inadequate training contributed to the escape, noting both officers had received appropriate instruction for hospital escort duties.
Cooper made no recommendations, suggesting the failures were individual lapses rather than systemic breaches of clear policies.
