A coronial inquest into the death in custody of an Aboriginal man has heard he was taken off a waiting list for a mental health bed at a hospital less than a week before he died in a Sydney jail.
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains an image of a person who has died, used with the permission of their family.
Tim Garner, a 30-year-old father who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, died by suicide in his cell at Silverwater Correctional facility in July 2018.
He was on remand after being charged with robbery and possession of a prohibited drug in April 2018.
The inquest will examine the adequacy of mental health support and treatment provided to Mr Garner by staff at the facility.
On the first day of the inquest, Counsel Assisting the Coroner, Claire Palmer, told the court that Mr Garner was seen by a Risk Intervention Team (RIT) multiple times in the months and weeks leading up to his death, who assessed his risk of self-harm and suicide.
"He moved on and off the RIT program relatively frequently," she said.
About a fortnight before he died, Dr Palmer said Mr Garner had "ripped a sink out of his cell", refused medication and experienced increased paranoia.
A few days later, she said a psychiatrist recommended Mr Garner be transferred to a mental health facility, noting that he was "experiencing delusions" and "probable thought disorder".
He was subsequently ordered to be held at the facility until a mental health bed became available at Long Bay hospital.
Five days before his death, the court heard Mr Garner was removed from the waitlist and cleared from RIT assessment after being seen by a doctor again, who noted his condition had "improved" and he was taking his medication.
Dr Palmer told the court the inquest would examine issues including the mental health waitlist for admission into Long Bay hospital and whether RIT staff had completed mandatory training.
The inquest heard from the governor of the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre, Adam Wilkinson, who acknowledged that no psychologists were members of the RIT due to resourcing issues.
He said work had been done at the facility to "reduce obvious hanging points".
"We've made a lot of improvements since 2018," he said.
The two-week inquest is expected to hear evidence from the psychiatrist who treated Mr Garner and other medical staff, before concluding with a statement from his family.
The inquest will resume on Thursday.
